Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government has been facing difficulties in making contact with three Indonesians currently volunteering at the Indonesian Hospital following Israeli attack on the hospital on Monday (November 20), Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated.

"Until now, we have yet to succeed in making direct contact with three Indonesians working as volunteers at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza," she remarked during a virtual press conference on the sidelines of her activities in London, the United Kingdom, on Tuesday (November 21).

Marsudi's visit to London, along with foreign affairs ministers of several Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, serves as a follow-up to the mandate assigned by the organization to gather support for peace restoration efforts in Palestine.

According to Marsudi, the government has only received very limited information on the well-being of the Indonesians from several UN agencies and other relevant parties in the besieged Gaza Strip.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to put all-out efforts (to make contact)," she emphasized.

The whereabouts and well-being of three Indonesian citizens -- Fikri Rofiul Haq, Reza Aldilla Kurniawan, and Farid Zanzabil Al Ayubi -- have come under the public spotlight following Israeli assault on the Indonesian Hospital that resulted in at least 12 casualties.

Earlier, the three volunteers refused to be evacuated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Monday, the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) stated that the three Indonesians were safe, although it had not managed to make direct contact with them.

"According to our informants there, the three MER-C volunteers are in a healthy condition. Several photos we received show that they are currently at the Indonesian Hospital," Chairman of the MER-C Presidium Sarbini Abdul Murad stated.

Murad noted that the Indonesian Hospital is currently treating 700 injured people and sheltering about five thousand refugees.

On the same day, Minister Marsudi conveyed Indonesia's strong condemnation of the attack launched by Israeli occupation forces on its hospital, calling the act as a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Indonesia has also urged all countries, particularly those having close relations with Israel, to use their influence and capacity to press Israel to stop its atrocities.

Prior to their attack on the Indonesian Hospital, the Israeli forces had mounted an assault on Al Shifa Hospital, accusing Palestinian liberation group Hamas of operating a command center underneath the medical facility.

Hamas, in response, denied the accusation.

Over 13 thousand Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel following Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, 1,200 people have died on Israel's side.

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Translator: Yashinta Difa, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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