VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Several hundred students of Islamic boarding schools under the ownership of Pesantren Wahdah Islamiyah Foundation (YPWI) in Makassar City, South Sulawesi, have joined the world's solidarity for Palestine.

The students voluntarily participated in the fund-raising for Palestine by collecting Rp50,399,500 in donations, Manager of Event and Partnership of the Wahdah Inspirasi Zakat's Alms Agency (WIZ) Arsal Salama remarked.

Salama, here on Friday, lauded the schools that had joined the fund-raising movement for Palestine to help those in need in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million people.

Apart from donating funds, the students also performed prayers for the safety of Palestinians in Gaza and occupied West Bank whose lives are threatened by the brutal Israeli bombardment and Israeli settlers' attacks, he stated.

Meanwhile, Director of the Wahdah Inspirasi Zakat's Alms Agency (WIZ) Syahruddin remarked that his agency had collected Indonesian people's donations for Palestine and had gradually distributed staple food packages to those in need in Gaza through its local partners there.

Since the start of the Palestinian and Israeli war on Oct 7, he said WIZ had initiated to provide the affected Palestinians with food, medicine, and other logistic needs.

"We are deeply concerned with Palestinian civilians falling victim to the brutal bombardment of the Israeli occupation forces there. We are deeply saddened by what has been happening there," he said.

It is not easy to get access to Gaza for the humanitarian mission due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment. However, God Almighty paves the way for that mission, Syahruddin remarked.

Palestine and Israel's new armed conflict erupted again following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel early in the morning of October 7.

Prior to the assaults by Palestinian liberation fighters, Israel had continued its closure of Gaza crossings.

Palestine's news agency WAFA reported on September 25 that the Israeli closure of Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.

According to WAFA, the Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impacts of "more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades."

Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which governs Gaza, as stating that its assault on Israel was "a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence."

In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would "turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble." (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Saturday morning sent off humanitarian assistance, weighing 51.5 tons, from the Indonesian government and people for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip that is currently being shelled by Israeli forces.

"Praise be to God, the assistance from Indonesia for Palestine will soon be sent to El Arish Airport in Egypt before being delivered to Gaza," the president remarked during the sending off ceremony of the aid at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta.

He noted that the Indonesian aid for Gaza, comprising medical equipment, blankets, tents, and other logistics, would be followed by another batch of aid.

The president stated that the first batch of the aid was transported by three aircraft, namely two C-130 Hercules planes, with registration numbers A-1327 and A-1328, of the Indonesian Air Force as well as a Boeing 737 plane of Garuda Indonesia.

He highlighted that aid was obtained not only from the government but also from the people that submitted their donation through humanitarian agencies, such as the National Alms Agency (Baznas) and Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and a fundraising platform kitabisa.com.

"This is a manifestation of Indonesian solidarity, the nation's care about humanity because the humanitarian tragedy happening in Gaza is unacceptable and must be ended immediately," he stated.

In his speech, President Jokowi reiterated that Indonesia would always stand by the nation of Palestine.

The sending off of the humanitarian aid was directly witnessed by Ambassador of Palestine to Indonesia Zuhair Al Shun.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Admiral Yudo Margono, and Army Chief of Staff General Agus Subiyanto accompanied the president during the activity. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI) personnel in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have joined a series of drills to anticipate the worst-case scenarios regarding the escalation of war in Palestine's besieged Gaza Strip.

Maritime task force commander with the Indonesian Battalion of Garuda XXVIII-N Contingent, Lt.Col.John David Nalasakti Sondakh, made the remarks in a press statement released by the Indonesian navy and received here on Friday.

Since the start of the Palestine-Israel war on October 7, 2023, tensions have escalated up to the Blue Line, the border between Lebanon and Israel, he said.

The UNIFIL's military exercise took place on November 1–3, and was witnessed by Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon, Y.Thohari, Sondakh added.

The drills were aimed at improving the Indobatt (Indonesian battalion) personnel's readiness for any eventuality that might occur during an escalation of tensions, and for anticipating the UNIFIL Chief of Mission's decision to increase the readiness status from "red alert" to "black alert," he informed.

During the three-day exercise, the UNIFIL troops from Indonesia received training materials, including those related to base defense, air defense, response to underwater sabotage, as well as Indonesian citizen and force protection, he said.

"If the current situation got worse, and an order to withdraw our troops was issued, an evacuation mission could be carried out through the sea to Cyprus," he added.

Evacuation through the sea could be an option when Lebanon's Rafic Hariri International Airport is not operational and the land route is not feasible, he explained.

Besides Cyprus, another secure destination for evacuees is Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, a country that is home to 222 Indonesian citizens and 1,229 peacekeepers from the Indobatt.

Palestine and Israel's new armed conflict erupted again following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel early on the morning of October 7.

Prior to the assaults by Palestinian liberation fighters, Israel had continued its closure of Gaza crossings.

Palestine's news agency WAFA reported on September 25 that the Israeli closure of Gaza crossings had worsened the living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.

According to WAFA, the Palestinians had already suffered from the severe impacts of "more than 17 years of tight Israeli land, sea, and air blockades."

Al Jazeera quoted Hamas, which governs Gaza, as stating that its assault on Israel was "a response to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence."

In response to the unprecedented surprise attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and, according to Al Jazeera, pledged that the Israeli forces would "turn all Hamas hideouts into rubble."

In the Palestinian war on Israel, Hezbollah is assisting Hamas by launching attacks on the Israeli force's position near the Lebanon-Israel border. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has urged all Indonesians to gather knowledge about disaster preparedness and obtain practical skills that can help them respond to natural disasters.

"To be able to save (yourself during a disaster), do not feel satisfied only with technology because it always has limitedness," the agency's head, Dwikorita Karnawati, said at an earthquake and tsunami mitigation forum here Friday.

Therefore, disaster mitigation that aligns with local wisdom can be more valuable in efforts to save the lives of people during an earthquake or a tsunami, she added.

Speaking at the forum, which was held to commemorate World Tsunami Awareness Day 2023, she highlighted the importance of public preparedness for bolstering disaster response in Indonesia's disaster-prone regions.

By strengthening their disaster preparedness, people living in disaster-prone areas can become more resilient to the impacts of catastrophes, she said.

The UN Secretary-General has launched "Early Warnings for All" to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from natural disasters in 2027, she pointed out.

Thus, 100 percent of people living in tsunami-prone regions will be ready to save themselves from a tsunami, she said, adding that BMKG is working closely with other agencies to improve public disaster awareness.

ANTARA reported earlier that with about 17 thousand islands scattered across the Indian-Pacific Ocean, the world's largest archipelagic country, Indonesia, is like a "supermarket for natural disasters."

The country has four disaster clusters: geology and volcanology (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis), hydrometeorology I (forest fires and drought), hydrometeorology II (flash floods, landslides, and coastal abrasion), and non-natural disasters (waste, epidemics, and technological failures).

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that between January 1 and December 19, 2021, for instance, a total of 2,931 disasters displaced 8.26 million people in Indonesia.

Regarding tsunamis, the Indonesian province of Aceh experienced the deadliest-ever earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami, on December 26, 2004.

The catastrophe, which also affected certain coastal areas in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed at least 230 thousand people. (Antaranews)