Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi provides a press statement regarding the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Gaza on Friday, November 3, 2023. (Photo: Screenshot)
JAKARTA, JAKTIMES.COM – Indonesia’s Foreign Minister (Menlu) Retno LP Marsudi announced that the Indonesian government has successfully evacuated four Indonesian citizens (WNI) from the Gaza Strip to Cairo, Egypt. The four Indonesian citizens are Abdillah Onim and his three children, along with his wife, who is a Palestinian national.
“Alhamdulillah, with gratitude, on November 2, at approximately 19:00 local time in Egypt or around 00:00 on November 3, WIB, four Indonesian citizens and one Indonesian wife were successfully evacuated from Gaza and have arrived in Rafah,” Retno stated in her press statement on Friday, November 3, 2023.
After covering a distance of 367 kilometers from Rafah to Cairo, the Indonesian citizens, along with the evacuation team, arrived in Cairo at approximately 03:00 local time. Menlu emphasized that evacuating these 4 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian wife was not an easy task.
“On November 1, Indonesian citizens attempted to travel to Rafah but had to return due to the highly unfavorable situation. Attacks occurred along the way. Given this very unfavorable situation, we agreed that Indonesian citizens should return to their homes in Northern Gaza,” she explained.
On November 2, evacuation efforts were made again but failed due to the unfavorable situation. Retno stressed that the safety of the Indonesian citizens was a top priority in this evacuation effort.
“For the third time, on November 2 in the daytime, evacuation was attempted again, and alhamdulillah, it succeeded. Four Indonesian citizens and one Indonesian wife have been successfully evacuated,” she said.
In addition to security concerns, Menlu mentioned that the intermittent communication network further complicated coordination in the evacuation process.
“Communication connections sometimes worked and often didn’t work for extended periods,” she said.
Nevertheless, the government persisted and successfully rescued 4 Indonesian citizens and 1 Indonesian wife from Gaza to Cairo. Menlu stated that they are maintaining communication with the evacuated Indonesian citizens.
“Assalamu’alaikum, Ma’am. Thank you, alhamdulillah, Bang Onim and his children and wife are now with friends from the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. They are currently on the way to the Embassy. Thank you, ma’am. Thank you, and alhamdulillah for the cooperation,” said a voice message from Onim, one of the evacuated Indonesian citizens, to Menlu.
After successfully evacuating four Indonesian citizens, the government continues its efforts to evacuate another Indonesian family, comprising three Indonesian citizens and one Indonesian wife who is a Palestinian national. Menlu emphasized that the government will persist in creating a safe corridor for the evacuation of these Indonesian citizens.
“We are making use of all our networks to assist in this complex evacuation process. We continue to communicate with the family of the Indonesian citizens, and today, we will make another attempt to evacuate them from Gaza,” Menlu concluded (Marwan Azis)
