REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religious Affairs distributed IDR 44.8 billion in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian community during the 78th Bhakti Charity Day commemoration held at Usmar Ismail Film Center in Jakarta on Tuesday night.
This assistance consists of a donation from ASN Kemenag across Indonesia worth Rp41,520,207,987,987.00 and a donation from Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia worth IDR 3,381,888,260.00.
“Aid will be channeled through Lazismu and LazisNu,” said Yaqut Religious Affairs Minister Cholil Qoumas.
The handover of aid was made symbolically on the eve of the Prayer and Poetry for Palestine strand held at the Usmar Ismail Film Center.
“The assistance we are delivering tonight is a form of concern for the extended family of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, including the DWP Ministry, for the pain currently felt by our brothers in Palestine,” Menag said.
Menag hopes the aid channeled can benefit the Palestinian people. “We are very concerned about what is happening in Palestine. It's been more than 80 days of war going on there, and we hear of our brothers starving in Palestine. Hopefully this little bit of aid can relieve the Palestinian people,” he said.
As for the Prayer and Poetry for Palestine strand this is the opening of the 78th Bhakti Charity Day (HAB) series of the Ministry. The event opened with prayers from Indonesian children for Palestine.
Also present were Indonesian literati reciting verses for Palestinians, namely Mustofa Bisri (Gus Mus), KH Zawawi Imron, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, Sosiawan Leak, Ine Febriyanti, and Olivia Zalianty.
Israel has overrun the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack carried out by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7, killing at least 21,978 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounding 57,697 others, according to local health authorities.
Some 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in Hamas attacks on October 7, including soldiers.