Indonesia offers shelter to Palestinians wounded and orphaned in Gaza

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Wednesday that his country will offer temporary shelter to Palestinian medical evacuees and children orphaned by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

“We are ready to evacuate those who are injured or traumatized, and orphans, if they want to be evacuated to Indonesia, and we are ready to send planes to transport them,” Subianto said, adding that he has instructed his foreign affairs minister to discuss evacuation plans with the Palestinian authorities at once.

He said Indonesia is ready to evacuate a first batch of around 1,000 victims, who will stay in the country until they have fully recovered from their injuries and Gaza is safe enough to return to. Subianto said the move was not for permanent resettlement.

Subianto spoke before getting on a flight to Abu Dhabi, the first stop in a weeklong tour of the Middle East that also includes stops in Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan. He said he would consult on the planned evacuations with those countries, some of which have also accepted Palestinians for humanitarian reasons.

He added that other countries have called on Indonesia to increase its role in seeking a resolution to the conflict in Gaza. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinians.

“This is something complicated; it’s not easy, but I think it encourages the Indonesian government to play a more active role,” Subianto said.