May 9, 2024
JAKARTA – The government has strongly condemned Israel’s recent seizure and military assault on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt in southern Gaza, which has triggered the exodus of thousands of people.
Indonesia, through the Foreign Ministry, reiterated its call for a permanent cease-fire and urged the United Nations Security Council to “stop Israel’s brutal atrocities immediately”.
“Any attempt at forced transfer or displacement of Palestinians, including from Rafah is unacceptable as it amounts to an ultimate crime against humanity,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on the Rafah border crossing, where some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have been living in shelters and makeshift camps.
The strikes, which the Israel Defense Forces described as having been targeted against “Hamas terror targets”, came despite repeated warnings made by the international community that an attack on Rafah would cause devastating civilian casualties, with some nations going so far as to describe it as a genocidal act.
Rafah, the largest city in Gaza, is among the few places that have been spared from Israeli attacks before, and is a highly critical route for humanitarian aid getting into the besieged enclave.
“Indonesia reiterates its call for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the removal of all impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Indonesia’s statement continued.
“The international community, particularly the Security Council, must stop Israel’s brutal atrocities immediately and prevent any further humanitarian catastrophe”.
Entering the eighth month of the conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed militant group Hamas over 34,000 people have died in Gaza, with numbers expected to rise swiftly following the latest attack on Rafah.
An AFP correspondent in the city reported heavy bombardment throughout the night of the strike, while the Kuwaiti Hospital reported that 11 people had been killed and dozens of others injured in the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the assault despite widespread opposition including from his most important ally the United States, had earlier rejected a Gaza cease-fire proposal mediated by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas’ approval.