VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Ambassador of Palestine to Indonesia Zuhair Al Shun commended the government and people of Indonesia for their contribution to helping the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

"We are genuinely proud of your people, your government. Whatever the aid is, whatever the support is, will be more than enough to Palestine," Al Shun remarked after attending the sending off ceremony of Indonesian humanitarian aid for Gaza at the Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta, on Saturday.

On that occasion, the ambassador extended his appreciation to the Indonesian government and people for the assistance provided to the people of Palestine that have been suffering from the devastating war between Palestinian Hamas and Israeli forces.

He also expressed belief that the people of Indonesia would always stand with Palestine, and would never leave the Arab state alone in its fight for independence from Israeli occupying forces.

"Indonesia, as stated by His Excellency (President Joko Widodo), will always stand with Palestine and will not leave us alone," the ambassador remarked.

The people of Indonesia feel the struggle of the Palestinian nation, he added.

"They understand and fight by our side through diplomacy. It is certain that we will succeed and become free with the help of Indonesia, the largest Muslim country," he stated.

Earlier, on Saturday morning, President Joko Widodo personally sent off the Indonesian humanitarian aid dedicated for Palestinians in Gaza at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.

In his speech, he emphasized that the aid serves as proof of Indonesia's genuine care for humanity.

"The humanitarian tragedy happening in Gaza is unacceptable and must be ended immediately. I would like to reiterate that Indonesia will always stand by the Palestinian nation," he stressed.

President Jokowi sent off the first batch of the aid, weighing 51.5 tons in total, that includes food, medicines, medical equipment, drinking water purifiers, and blankets.

As for the second batch of the aid, Indonesia is planning to deliver it in the next three or four weeks.

During the activity, the president was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, among others. (Antaranews)

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 - 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)