REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lalu Muhammad Iqbal confirmed on Tuesday (7/10/2023) that the Indonesian Hospital in Palestine's besieged Gaza Strip is a health facility for humanitarian purposes. The Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have previously accused the health facility of storing diesel fuel and having underground tunnel to perform prohibited deeds.

“The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza is a facility that Indonesians built entirely for humanitarian purposes and to serve the medical needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Iqbal said in a written statement provided to the media.

Iqbal explained that the Indonesian Hospital is currently fully managed by the Palestinian authorities in Gaza. However, Indonesian volunteers from time to time are at the facility to help.

Currently, there are three Indonesian citizens who volunteer at the health facility. “They are in good condition and consciously chose not to be evacuated by the government. We continues to communicate with the three Indonesian citizens to monitor their condition,” Iqbal said.

According to Iqbal, the Indonesian Hospital is currently one of the few health facilities still functioning in the region. It is the only hope for Palestinians in northern Gaza for medical treatment amid the Israeli attacks that is growing every day. “This hospital is currently treating patients in numbers far beyond its capacity,” he said.

Iqbal also reiterated Indonesia's stance that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, always expressed about Israeli attacks. Marsudi called on Israel to stop killing civilians and attacking civilian facilities, suce as hospitals, mosques, and churches. 

Israel's accusations against Indonesian hospital have also been refuted by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), Sarbini Abdul Murad. He stated that Israel committed hoaxes and lies over the widely disseminated allegations.

Earlier, a release from Israel stated that the place referred to as the tunnel was a place suspected to support a Palestinian freedom fighter group's movement. Abdul Murad denied the accusation since it had no evidence.

“On several occasions, Israel tried to carry out one lie that said The Indonesian Hospital stored or made bunkers to store diesel fuel,” Sarbin said.

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