MER-C Disagrees with Dropping Humanitarian Aid to Gaza by Plane

Jakarta, MINA – Chairman of the MER-C Presidium, dr. Sarbini Abdul Murad regrets the distribution of aid by air to the Gaza Strip and does not suggest that the Indonesian government should do the same. He argued that providing humanitarian aid by plane was undignified.

“This move is not dignified. “It really hurts our consciences when we see Gazans huddled together and fighting for aid and risking their lives by chasing aid parachutes that fall in the sea and using each other’s strengths to seize aid which is not much compared to their needs,” said Sarbini.

In fact, on Friday, at least five people reportedly died and 10 others were injured as a result of aid packages dropped from the air onto residents in the Al Shati camp west of Gaza City.

For this reason, Sarbini stated that such a method was not a decision that could completely help the humanitarian problems in Gaza. But the irony is that it depicts the world’s defeat in the face of Israel’s stubborn attitude which does not care about world pressure to open access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

“How long will we watch a humanitarian drama with Israel as the actor and Gaza as the victim,” he said.

However, Sarbini said that President Joko Widodo’s intentions should be appreciated, but their effectiveness also needs to be reviewed. Don’t let it cause and increase casualties among the people of Gaza.

Sarbini suggested that Indonesia establish a field hospital in Rafah, Egypt. “Establishing a field hospital in Rafah, Egypt is a reasonable and feasible option for Indonesia,” he said.

Field hospitals can be an alternative aid that Indonesia can provide to help overcome the paralysis of health facilities in the Gaza Strip. Health facilities are vital amidst ongoing aggression and the increasing number of victims. Meanwhile, hospitals in Egypt, as a country that borders directly on the Gaza Strip, have also been overwhelmed by the endless number of referrals from Gaza residents.

A number of countries have had to drop aid by air to be able to provide assistance to residents in the Palestinian Gaza Strip who are still experiencing a prolonged blockade and aggression.

The distribution of aid by air has been successfully carried out by Jordan, the UAE, France and the United States. Jordan even had King Abdullah directly coordinate the dropping of aid via plane.

Indonesia also plans to drop humanitarian aid by plane to the Gaza Strip. This was conveyed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, after it became difficult to distribute humanitarian aid via land because Israel did not want humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)