Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) pressed for putting an immediate stop to the war between Israel and Palestine in order to avoid increasing casualties and destruction of property.
"The conflict has escalated and caused a greater humanitarian impact," he noted in a press statement regarding the current situation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was accessed from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel on Tuesday.
The head of state had called on Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and related ministries and institutions to immediately take quick action to protect Indonesian citizens in conflict areas.
"The root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved immediately according to the parameters agreed upon by the United Nations," he emphasized.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has also prepared a contingency plan to evacuate Indonesian citizens from conflicted areas with several situational scenarios, including the possibility of evacuating Indonesian citizens through countries closest to Palestine, namely Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.
"We are coordinating with Indonesian Embassies in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, and other various parties to evacuate Indonesian citizens residing in the Palestinian territories, especially 10 Indonesian citizens, who are in the Gaza Strip," the ministry's spokesperson, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, confirmed.
Data from the ministry recorded 45 Indonesian citizens in Palestine, with 10 of them located in the Gaza Strip that is the center of the Israeli military air attacks' target.
Moreover, 230 Indonesian citizens are on religious trips at various points in Israel. To date, no reports of Indonesian citizens becoming victims has been received.
The Hamas armed group stormed the Israel-Gaza border fence from Gaza on October 7 and killed Israeli soldiers and civilians while taking dozens of people hostage from the region.
Israel responded by launching massive strikes on Gaza and possibly followed by a ground attack into territory they abandoned almost two decades ago after 38 years of occupation.
The Hamas attack killed 800 Israelis and injured 2,500 people. On the opposite side, Israel's air attacks left 500 Palestinians dead, with more than three thousand people injured.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) stated that almost 74 thousand refugees are housed in 64 UNRWA shelters. The figure is likely to increase as heavy attacks and airstrikes continue, including in civilian areas.
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