They had departed for Egypt's El Arish International Airport on Sunday eveningTangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - The National Police (Polri) sent nine personnel to assist the delivery of 26.5 tons of the 51.5 tons of Indonesia's humanitarian aid for the people of Palestine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
"They had departed for Egypt's El Arish International Airport on Sunday evening," Head of the National Police's International Relations Division, Inspector General Krishna Murti, stated here Monday.
"The police officers left for Egypt on board an Airbus A330 from the Soekarno Hatta International Airport along with their counterparts from the Foreign Ministry and several journalists," he remarked.
Shortly after arriving in Egypt, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's officials would coordinate the delivery of the humanitarian aid to the Egyptian authorities before being transported to Gaza, Murti stated.
He appealed to all Indonesians to continue to pray for the success of this humanitarian mission for Palestinians, who have been acutely suffering from the Israeli bombardment since the start of the war on October 7.
"May our humanitarian packages arrive on schedule and reach those in need," he noted, adding that the packages comprise health equipment, food, tents, and blankets.
"Polri donates 100 tents that can accommodate five thousand people as well as one thousand winter blankets and jackets, he stated.
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On Saturday morning (Nov 4), President Joko Widodo had sent off humanitarian assistance, weighing 51.5 tons, from the Indonesian government and people for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Speaking at the sending off ceremony of the aid at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta, President Jokowi said this first batch of aid would be followed by another batch of aid.
This first batch of the aid was transported by three aircraft comprising two C-130 Hercules planes, with registration numbers A-1327 and A-1328, of the Indonesian Air Force as well as a Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737.
Jokowi, as the president is known, highlighted that aid was obtained not only from the government but also from the people that submitted their donation through humanitarian agencies, including the National Alms Agency (Baznas) and Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and a fundraising platform kitabisa.com.
"This is a manifestation of Indonesian solidarity, the nation's care about humanity because the humanitarian tragedy happening in Gaza is unacceptable and must be ended immediately," he stated.
New armed conflict between Palestine and Israel erupted again following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel early in the morning of October 7.
Prior to the assaults by Palestinian liberation fighters, Israel had continued its closure of Gaza crossings.
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Palestine's news agency WAFA reported on September 25 that the Israeli closure of Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to WAFA, the Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impacts of "more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades."
Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which governs Gaza, as stating that its assault on Israel was "a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence."
In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would "turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble."
The ongoing Israeli genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million people, has resulted in the deaths of several thousand Palestinian civilians and led to a humanitarian crisis.
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Translator: Azmi SM, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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