VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has said that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Palestine will be carried out once the situation on the field is safe.

"We already have the data (on the number of Indonesians); there is an evacuation plan, but the situation does not yet allow for movement," she said on the sidelines of the 1st High-Level Meeting of the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum here on Wednesday.

Marsudi said that she has asked for support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in evacuating Indonesians from the Gaza Strip in Palestine, which has become the main target of the Israeli military's air strikes.

The minister is intensively communicating with several parties, including the ICRC, to ensure the security and safety of Indonesian citizens.

"Because the main priority is to evacuate Indonesian citizens safely," she underlined.

The minister has also made contact with Brazil, which is currently holding the United Nations Security Council presidency; the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); as well as with the Philippines. which has an embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian embassies in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo are on full alert and are monitoring developments in the conflict area and working to ensure the protection of affected Indonesians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Indonesia is currently preparing a contingency plan for the evacuation of Indonesian citizens with several scenarios.

The scenarios include the possibility of evacuating Indonesian citizens through countries closest to Palestine, namely Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.

"The government, through the Indonesian embassies in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, is coordinating with various parties to evacuate Indonesians who are in Palestine's territory, especially 10 Indonesians who are in the Gaza Strip," the ministry's spokesperson, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, said on Tuesday (October 10).

Based on the ministry's data, there are 45 Indonesians who are currently in Palestine, and 10 of them are in the Gaza Strip.

There are also 230 Indonesians who are currently carrying out religious tourism activities in several locations in Israel. 

So far, there have been no reports of Indonesian citizens falling victim to the ongoing violence. (ANTARA News)