The Indonesia Hospital, in the north of the Gaza Strip near the fortified border with Israel, was opened in late 2015 after Indonesia's Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, a humanitarian NGO, raised Rp 126 billion (some $7.3 million) in donations for its construction, according to state news agency Antara.

It has since been destroyed, and Jakarta on Wednesday objected to the raising of a banner over the ruins that alludes to Israel's 12-day "Rising Lion" military operation against Iran last year.

From The Weekender

Our second Instagram account is the real one

In an act of rebellion against overexposure and performative social media, Gen Z are turning to smaller, controlled spaces on social media where they can be their authentic selves.

Read on The Weekender

"The use of military symbols and propaganda over the ruins of a destroyed hospital, especially when linked to a specific military operation, is a highly provocative act and cannot be justified," the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on X.

"This act is an insult to a humanitarian facility built from the solidarity of the Indonesian people for the Palestinian people."

The ministry said all medical facilities "must be respected and protected" under international humanitarian law and called on Israel to cease actions that endanger civilian infrastructure.

In 2023, Indonesia denied an Israeli claim that the hospital sat atop a network of Hamas tunnels.

Popular

Second time surrender

Indonesia turns to paper, glass packaging as plastic prices climb

Sovereignty concerns loom over new security pact with US