Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian naval hospital ship completed its humanitarian mission in Egypt on Friday, Feb. 16, and was preparing to sail back home on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
The Indonesian Navy Information Service stated in its official broadcast on Friday that Indonesian Navy soldiers, who were part of the mission to deliver aid to Egypt for the Palestinian people in Gaza, had completed unloading all aid packages weighing 242 tons at the El Arish Port.
The unloading process took four days since the ship had docked at El Arish Port on Tuesday, February 13. The aid was then grouped according to its category and repackaged to be transported by trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Rafah border in Gaza.
El Arish in Sinai is an area in Egypt directly adjacent to the Rafah border. The city is a center for collecting humanitarian aid from abroad, including Indonesia, for the Palestinians in Gaza currently reeling from the impacts of Israeli aggression.
The Indonesian Navy soldiers, who are members of the 2024 Port Visit Egypt Task Force, were scheduled to leave for Indonesia this Saturday. On their return voyage, they were also scheduled to stop in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Soldiers and personnel, who are Muslims, would be given the opportunity to perform Umrah in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The ship sailed from Jakarta on January 18, 2024, bringing 242 tons of aid comprising 532 sacks of diapers, 600 sacks of children's clothing, 700 sacks and 500 boxes of adult clothing, 800 cartons of milk, 650 boxes of biscuits, 1,254 gallons of mineral water, 1,700 boxes of mineral water, 460 boxes of medicines, 450 sacks of blankets, 450 sacks of jackets, and 470 boxes of instant noodles.
The ship carries 214 crew members, with 40 of them from the Indonesian Navy special forces. Sending aid to Egypt was also the first mission of the Indonesian naval ship, KRI dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat-992, to cross the ocean and set sail from the Indonesian waters.