Jakarta – Saba:
The Indonesian presidency announced on Thursday that Jakarta intends to convert a medical facility on the uninhabited island of Galang into a temporary treatment center for approximately 2,000 injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. This initiative includes receiving the injured and those pulled from the rubble, along with their family members.
Presidential spokesman Hassan Nasibi said in press statements that the initiative does not constitute a displacement operation, but rather aims to provide the necessary medical care to the Palestinian victims. He noted that the patients will return to Gaza after their recovery.
Nasibi explained that Galang Island, located south of Singapore and off the island of Sumatra, is uninhabited, making it a suitable location for temporarily hosting the injured.
The island was previously used as a UN-run refugee camp, housing more than 250,000 refugees from Vietnam until 1996. A field hospital was also set up there during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The spokesperson did not provide a clear timeframe for the initiative's implementation, referring details to the foreign and defense ministries, which have yet to comment.
This move comes months after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto offered to provide shelter for wounded Palestinians. This offer was criticized by religious leaders in the country for its similarity to previous proposals by US President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from Gaza.
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