The government's support was voiced by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, when he received a courtesy call from Sarbini Abdul Murad here early this week.
Murad, a professional doctor, currently chairs the presidium of Indonesia's MER-C.
In a press statement received from the coordinating ministry here on Tuesday, Tjahjanto said that all MER-C volunteers engaged in the humanitarian mission in Palestine are "heroes of humanity."
For the humanitarian mission, the government and all voluntary organizations, including MER-C, need to work together to assist those in need of help in Indonesia and abroad, he added.
MER-C is a non-profit organization in Indonesia, which provides medical assistance to victims of natural disasters and wars.
It was founded by several University of Indonesia (UI) students in 1999. Since then, MER-C volunteers have been actively involved in humanitarian missions inside and outside Indonesia.
MER-C volunteers have also been caring for those falling victim to the Israeli brutality in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
In response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza owing to the destruction of hospitals, MER-C published an open letter to the World Health Organization in December 2023.
In the letter, MER-C urged the WHO to do its utmost to restore the functions of hospitals that the Israeli military has destroyed and occupied as military barracks to enable them to serve the Palestinians in need of medical services.
Fresh armed conflict erupted between Palestine and Israel following a surprise early morning attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Since the war began, the Israeli armed forces have killed at least 36,550 Palestinian civilians and injured around 82,959 others, Al Jazeera said citing data as of June 4, 2024.
Al Jazeera reported that many of those killed in Gaza have been women and children. The Israeli aggression also triggered a humanitarian catastrophe.
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Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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