Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) General Agus Subiyanto personally welcomed the aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base at around 5 p.m. local time.
"The C-130J Super Hercules has finally arrived in Indonesia after concluding a 14-day mission, starting from March 29, flying to Jordan to deliver humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza," Head of TNI's International Information Colonel Tedi Rudianto noted in a statement received here on Thursday.
He said TNI's participation in Solidarity Path Operation had proven its interoperability with military institutions from other countries and served as a testament to Indonesia's success in military diplomacy.
General Subiyanto symbolically awarded the 27 personnel deployed to the humanitarian mission during the welcoming ceremony in Jakarta.
During the mission, the Super Hercules crew, led by Colonel Noto Casnoto, collaborated with the Royal Jordanian Air Force to airdrop 20 packages of food, mineral water, and medicines each weighing 160 kilograms donated by Indonesian people.
The aircraft flew to the southern part of Gaza from the King Abdullah II Air Base in Zarqa, Jordan.
It was a challenging mission for the Indonesian Air Force since unlike Jordan, Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel currently besieging the Gaza Strip.
The instruction to directly distribute humanitarian assistance to Gaza was stated by President Joko Widodo on March 8, 2024.
Indonesia has become the second country from Southeast Asia that managed to carry out direct aid distribution to Gaza after Singapore.
Related news: Indonesia airdrops aid in Gaza with Jordan's help
Translator: Walda M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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