Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is pushing efforts to stop the escalation of violence in Palestine and avoid more civilian casualties.

"Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi continues to communicate with a number of countries and international organizations to stop the violence," spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, told ANTARA via a short message on Tuesday.

According to Iqbal, discussions regarding the Palestinian issue were carried out by Minister Marsudi with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Monday. Brazil currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

The Indonesian government also pays attention to the condition of Indonesian citizens in Palestine and is already preparing a contingency plan for their evacuation with several situational scenarios, Iqbal revealed.

The scenarios include the possibility of evacuating Indonesian citizens through countries closest to Palestine, namely Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt, he remarked.

"Currently, the Indonesian government, through the Indonesian Embassies in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, are coordinating with various parties to evacuate Indonesian citizens, who are in the Palestinian territory, especially 10 Indonesian citizens, who are in the Gaza Strip," he stated.

Related news: RI expresses concern over escalation of Palestine-Israel's conflict

Data from the Foreign Affairs Ministry recorded a total of 45 Indonesian citizens in Palestine, with 10 of them residing in the Gaza Strip that is the center of air attacks launched by the Israeli military.

On October 8, the Israeli military claimed it had struck 426 properties belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Militant Organization, Hamas, including a compound belonging to the head of the group's intelligence department.

Around 10 residential buildings in Gaza and civilian facilities, such as hospitals, were destroyed by the Israeli army and civilians were killed. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that nearly 400 people, including children, were killed as a result of Israeli attacks, while more than two thousand others were wounded.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) stated that there are almost 74 thousand refugees in 64 UNRWA shelters. That figure is likely to increase, as heavy attacks and airstrikes continue, including in civilian areas.

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Related news: Palestine urges international community to stop Israeli aggression

Translator: Yashinta Difa P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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