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RI prepares evacuation plan for Indonesians in Gaza
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Palestinians carry their belongings on Oct. 9, 2023, as they walk on a debris-strewn street in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City. (Reuters/MOHAMMED SALEM)
T
he Indonesian government on Monday began preparing a contingency plan to evacuate its citizens from the Gaza Strip following the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel, the Foreign Ministry said.
At least 10 Indonesian citizens reside in the Gaza Strip, and none were hurt in the recent attack, the ministry noted. Three other Indonesians have returned via Egypt.
“The Foreign Ministry continues to coordinate closely with our embassies in Amman, Cairo and Beirut, to monitor the situation and to prepare a contingency plan,” said Judha Nugraha, the ministry’s director for citizen protection, on Monday. “Evacuation is one part of the plan.”
He called on Indonesians residing in Palestine to be vigilant and avoid conflict areas.
Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel from Gaza on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and sending a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages, AFP reported. In retaliation, Israeli air strikes have hammered the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million people, with officials there reporting at least 413 Palestinian deaths.
The escalation follows surging violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian authority exercises limited self-rule, opposed by Hamas, which wants Israel destroyed, Reuters reported. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said the assault would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Recent data from the ministry shows there are around 35 Indonesians residing in the West Bank and 230 Indonesian tourists currently visiting Israel.
