REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged fuel to enter Gaza. According to a report received from the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza on Wednesday (1/11/2023) morning, the stay was several hours before the main generators of the two hospitals would be completely shut down.
Retno stated that the two hospitals are Al Syifa Medical Complex and Indonesia Hospital. The health facility was threatened with not being fully operational if no additional fuel supplies were received.
After receiving the report, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) communicated with Mer-C volunteers who were in the field. “And from our communications we have information that the time left is approximately 48 hours from this morning, because we communicated this morning, before the main generator shut down,” Retno said in a media briefing on Wednesday.
These alarming conditions made MOFA conduct intensive communication so that fuel could reach Gaza for humanitarian reasons. According to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Muhamad Iqbal, Indonesia has confirmed that the fuel to be delivered to Gaza will indeed be destined for humanitarian facilities, including hospitals.
“This insistence was made for one of them to become a hospital, because they are exhausted and later can no longer function,” Iqbal said.
In order to be able to open the shipment immediately, Iqbal explained, Kemlu has conducted intensive communications with United Nations agencies and countries whose assets are on the ground.
In addition to fuel, Indonesia has been preparing to deliver aid this week to Egypt then funneled to Gaza via the Rafah border. This distribution has also been adapted to the needs of Gazans according to the communication that the Minister of RI made with the Minister of Palestine before.
The media director of the Rafah crossing noted that 196 aid trucks have so far crossed into Gaza since October 7. The number of aid trucks entering Gaza is still very small with an average of 14 trucks every day. In fact, as many as 400 trucks are delivered daily at normal times for a population of 2.3 million people.
Iqbal also stated that aid shipments from Indonesia are expected to be distributed in Gaza as soon as possible. However, it is worth realizing that incoming aid also needs approval from Egypt and Israel, plus queues for aid deliveries from other countries.
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