VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - As many as 35 Indonesian religious tourists in Israel will be returned home amid an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry stated.

"There are 35 Indonesian citizens, who conducted religious tourism, and we will facilitate (their return) on October 14, 2023. We will help access the exit," the ministry's Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities Judha Nugraha remarked in a press conference on Friday.

Since the latest escalation of conflict between Israel and Palestine triggered by the Hamas militant group's attacks on October 7, the Foreign Ministry noted that at least 231 Indonesian tourists had left the Israeli territory on October 9.

Thereafter, 38 Indonesian tourists left Israel and entered Jordan on October 11, while 44 Indonesian travelers departed from Israel and entered Jordan on October 12 respectively, so now, at least 313 Indonesian tourists successfully managed to leave the conflict area, the ministry reported.

In addition, as of Friday, some 143 Indonesian citizens were still caught in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict area, and only four of them were ready to be evacuated, the ministry stated.

Nugraha remarked that hundreds of Indonesian tourists will return to the country with the help of travel agents, who arranged their tour agendas.

The government's role, in this case, is to facilitate the return process by ensuring all Indonesian nationals can cross the border from Israel to Jordan and help with negotiations with the airlines, he remarked.

The Indonesian government has issued a travel advisory for Indonesian citizens with plans to visit or conduct religious tourism to Israel and Palestine and advised them to postpone their trip until the situation is safer.

The government also appealed to Indonesians living in Israel and Palestine to leave the region immediately, in anticipation of the worsening security and humanitarian conditions.  (ANTARA News)