MER-C Volunteer: Indonesian Hospital in Gaza as Main Shelter for Palestinians during Israeli Aggression
Jakarta, MINA – Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) volunteer, Farid Zanzabil Al-Ayubi, tells his story and experience after being successfully evacuated from the Gaza Strip after carrying out humanitarian duties for four years at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Palestine .
He said that the Indonesian Hospital was the main shelter for Palestinian victims to receive emergency treatment and flee due to the onslaught of attacks during the Zionist Israeli military aggression.
“When the war started, everyone (Gaza residents) started to take refuge in the Indonesian Hospital area, that’s around 20 thousand refugees. Indonesian Hospital is also close to two schools owned by the UN and the government. “Lots of victims were taken to Indonesian Hospital,” said Farid in press conference at the MER-C Jakarta Head Office on Wednesday.
He said that the hospital, which was built on waqf land from the Palestinian Government covering an area of 16,261 square meters (m2) in Bayt Lahiya, North Gaza, was unable to accommodate so many victims of aggression, especially in the northern Gaza area which borders Israel directly.
Indonesian Hospital is the second largest hospital in Gaza and the largest in northern Gaza. It was first built in May 2011 from full donations from the Indonesian community raised by MER-C and built by volunteers from the Al-Fatah Islamic Boarding School network.
He also told how the Indonesian Hospital in the war zone in Gaza was the target of Israeli bombardment which also targeted health facilities.
Farid said that the Indonesian Hospital is currently not operating because its condition was badly damaged due to the brutal Israeli military attack. Meanwhile, until now the North Gaza area cannot be accessed easily after being attacked by the Israeli army. Even Israel, as the occupier, forbids Palestinians who fled to South Gaza and Central Gaza from returning to North Gaza.
“When we were evacuated from the Indonesian Hospital to southern Gaza, we had to pass through an inspection at the Israeli military checkpoint in central Gaza. “Thank God, we passed the inspection,” he concluded.
Chairman of the MER-C Presidiun, Sarbini Abdul Murad, said that Farid’s return to his homeland is a historical witness as well as a trigger and encouragement for us to continue to help the Palestinian people in Gaza, especially enthusiastic about rebuilding the Indonesian Hospital as a national asset.
He also expressed his thanks to all the Indonesian people and various parties who had helped evacuate MER-C volunteers.
“We appreciate the government, in this case the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has made maximum efforts to evacuate our volunteers,” he said.
Apart from that, Sarbini asked for prayers from all Indonesian people for the two MER-C volunteers, namely Fikri Rofiul Haq and Reza Aldilla Kurniawan, who are still surviving in South Gaza, so that they are safe and healthy, and can carry out humanitarian activities for the victims of Gaza residents who are currently still suffering from Israeli Zionist aggression.
Farid is one of three MER-C volunteers who decided from the start to remain in Gaza for the past four years. However, in the process, Farid had to return to his homeland.
Farid, a young man who had studied at the Al-Fatah Cileungsi Islamic Boarding School, was previously successfully evacuated by the Indonesian Embassy Team in Cairo from Gaza to Egypt and arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday evening.
During the humanitarian pause, the Rafah border was not always open to outflow because priority was given to the inflow of humanitarian aid.
Since the Indonesian Hospital is not operating, Farid and two other MER-C volunteers have been in South Gaza. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
