Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto revealed Wednesday that Indonesia was willing to temporarily host Gaza’s wounded and orphans, although it would consult with the Palestinian government first before proceeding with the plan.

Prabowo is currently heading to the Middle East for talks with the regional leaders on addressing the Gaza crisis. His stops include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan. Shortly before boarding his plane, Prabowo told reporters of his intentions to evacuate Gazans and have them stay in Indonesia until the situation improves. Indonesia is open to sheltering around 1,000 Gazans in the first phase.

“We are ready to accept the injured. We will immediately send our foreign minister [Sugiono] to consult with the Palestinian government and the parties in that region regarding the implementation,”  Prabowo said at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma airport.

“We will evacuate the wounded, orphans, and those traumatized [by the conflict]. Or anyone whom the Palestinian government and relevant parties believe should be evacuated to Indonesia,” he added.

Indonesia intends to deploy its aircraft to evacuate the Gaza citizens. Prabowo, however, has set some conditions for the evacuation to happen, including the “approval by all parties”. 

“The evacuees may only stay in Indonesia temporarily until they have recovered. They must return to where they come from once the situation in Gaza allows it,” Prabowo said.

He also claimed that Indonesia had received “many requests” to play a more active role in tackling the Gaza crisis. 

Palestinian authorities recently reported that Israeli strikes had claimed the lives of over 50,800 since the war heightened in October 2023. A few weeks ago, the Indonesian government denied Hebrew media reports that it would relocate some Gazans to work in its construction sector. The reports wrote that this was part of a voluntary migration pilot program overseen by a unit under the Israeli Defense Ministry. Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat said at the time that “Indonesia had never discussed" with anyone” regarding the relocation.

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