Indonesian Government Successfully Evacuates Four Indonesian Citizens from Gaza

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi gives a press statement regarding the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Gaza, Friday (11/03). (Photo: Screenshot)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno LP Marsudi said that the Government had successfully evacuated four Indonesian citizens from the Gaza Strip to Cairo, Egypt. The four Indonesian citizens are Abdillah Onim and his 3 children, along with his wife who is a Palestinian citizen.

“Alhamdullillah, praise be to God, on November 2 at around 7 p.m. Egyptian time or around 12 a.m. on November 3 Western Indonesia Time, 4 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian citizen’s wife were successfully evacuated from Gaza and had arrived in Rafah,” said Retno in her press statement, Friday (11/03).

After traveling 367 kilometers from Rafah to Cairo, the Indonesian citizens and the evacuation team arrived in Cairo at around 03.00 in the morning local time. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that evacuating the 4 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian citizen’s wife was not easy.

“On November 1, those Indonesian citizens were trying to go to Rafah, but had to withdraw because the situation was very unconducive. Along their way, attacks occurred. Due to this very unconducive situation, we agreed that those Indonesian citizens returned to their home in North Gaza,” she said.

On November 2, another evacuation effort was made but failed again because the situation made it impossible. Retno emphasized that their safety was a priority in this evacuation effort.

“For the third time, on November 2 afternoon, evacuation was attempted again, and thank God it was successful. Four Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian citizen’s wife had been successfully evacuated,” she said.

Besides the security situation, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, communication networks that went on and off made coordination in the evacuation process more difficult.

“The communication connection could sometimes be used and sometimes in many times could not be used,” she said.

However, the Government kept making efforts and then succeeded in rescuing the 4 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian citizen’s wife from Gaza to Cairo. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that her team kept on communicating with the Indonesian citizens who were successfully evacuated.

“Assalamu’alaikum, Ma’am. Thank God, I and my wife and children are now joining the officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. We are now on our way to the Embassy. Thank you, Ma’am. Thank you, thank God, for your cooperation,” said Onim, the Indonesian citizen who was successfully evacuated, in his voice message to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

After successfully evacuating four Indonesian citizens, the Government is also steadily making efforts to evacuate other Indonesian citizens’ family consisting of 3 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian citizen’s wife who is a Palestinian citizen. The Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the Government will continue to strive to create safe corridors to evacuate those Indonesian citizens.

“We are trying to use all our networks to help with this complicated [evacuation] process. We keep on communicating with the Indonesian citizens’ family who today we will try again to evacuate from Gaza,” stressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Ministry of Foreign Affair’s Public Relations/UN) (TM/MMB)