Jakarta. The Indonesian government will soon issue visas for Palestinian students who received scholarships but were unable to attend classes due to recent conflicts, a senior official announced on Saturday.

Many Palestinian students saw their Indonesian visas expire as they were unable to travel amid the ongoing armed conflict between Hamas and Israel.

“We will facilitate their arrival by issuing new visas or extending the existing ones as soon as possible,” said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the Coordinating Minister for Human Rights, Immigration, Correctional, and Legal Affairs.

The visa issues faced by Palestinian students were raised by Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair Al-Shun during a meeting with Yusril. The two officials also discussed Indonesia’s support for Palestine in its bid to obtain full membership at the United Nations.

Yusril further noted that an Indonesia-funded hospital in Palestine is currently inoperable due to damage sustained during the conflict. The hospital’s operator, MER-C, has requested financial assistance from the Indonesian government to repair and restore operations.

However, Yusril said the government cannot immediately meet this request due to the fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, as well as the risks of renewed hostilities.

Hundreds of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, have lost their homes and are facing severe shortages of food and medical supplies in the aftermath of the war, which erupted when Hamas launched a major attack inside Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.

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