Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has launched its second humanitarian airdrop mission for the besieged residents of Gaza, delivering nearly 30 tonnes of aid to the Palestinian territory amid rising concerns over famine among the population there.
On Monday, the TNI's Operation Garuda Merah Putih II dropped 10.3 tonnes of logistical aid consisting of food and basic necessities, involving two Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport planes along with an aircraft from the Jordanian Air Force.
The airdrop mission is not merely about delivering logistics, but a tangible expression of Indonesia's care, solidarity and commitment [to help the Palestinian people], the Air Force wrote in a statement posted to its social media accounts on Tuesday.
The statement added that the mission, which symbolized the spirit of independence, does not stop at our own borders, but extends across boundaries to those in need in Palestine.
Monday's airdrop was the second delivery of humanitarian aid by the Air Force, after the first one on Sunday, when its cargo planes dropped 17.8 tonnes worth of basic necessities, ready-to-eat meals, medical supplies, blankets and special aid for children.
The figure reflected the date and month of Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug. 17. The Air Force has so far dropped a total of 28 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Gazans.
Operation Garuda Merah Putih II was launched on Aug. 13 with a joint team of 66 Air Force personnel, National Alms Agency (Baznas) workers and government officials embarking on the 12-day humanitarian mission to deliver aid to Gaza.
The operation was part of a larger international initiative called the Solidarity Path Operation-2 (SPO-2) led by the Royal Jordanian Air Force and joined by 11 other countries.
Indonesia vowed earlier this month to send 10,000 tonnes of rice to Gaza as part of its real action in supporting the Palestinian cause. The Foreign Ministry said that it was still preparing the technicalities around the delivery, with several other ministries and agencies working on plans with their Palestinian counterparts to ensure unhindered shipment.
The government also announced on Aug. 8 a plan to temporarily host 2,000 displaced Palestinians injured in the war in Gaza and treat them on Galang Island, Riau Islands. The island was picked thanks to its existing infrastructure of hospital and accommodation that once hosted refugees from Vietnam in the 1970s, as well as COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.
Several bodies, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in Batam, Riau Islands, emphasized the importance of a detailed procedural flow, including the mechanism to return them, to ensure there was no hidden agenda of forced resettlement or permanent relocation of Gazans from their own country.
The Israeli government has announced its plan to allow settlers to repopulate Gaza by driving Palestinians away from their own lands. Tel Aviv has also announced its plan to establish a so-called Greater Israel by annexing land from several surrounding countries.
President Prabowo Subianto previously declared a plan to host 1,000 Gazans in Indonesia. But the plan drew mixed reactions from Palestinian supporters in the country, with some expressing concern that removing Gazan people from their homeland, even temporarily, could indirectly enable Israel's plan to empty the territory.
Indonesia's humanitarian mission to Gaza came as conditions in Palestine continued to deteriorate, as Israel's military campaign, which is now in its second year, impacted over 2.1 million Palestinians due to nonstop bombardments, displacement, a collapsed healthcare system and extreme food shortages.
A report in July by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that nearly half of Gaza's population was suffering from catastrophic hunger, the most severe level on the scale.
The Israeli military offensive has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. The attack was launched as a response to a Hamas attack in October 2023 on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people.
Source: https://asianews.network/indonesia-makes-second-aid-airdrop-over-gaza