Indonesia sends first aid shipment to Gaza

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, looks at relief supplies for Gaza, before its departure at Halim Perdanakusuma air base in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.  (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, looks at relief supplies for Gaza, before its departure at Halim Perdanakusuma air base in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia dispatches a batch of humanitarian aid for people in Gaza, its first since the Israel-Hamas war began.

The 51.5-ton aid was sent off directly by Indonesian President Joko Widodo from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base. Widodo said the medical equipment, food, blankets, tents and other supplies came both from the government and from Indonesian civilians, collected by humanitarian agencies.

The aid will be transported by two Hercules aircraft and an Airbus cargo plane to el-Arish Airport in Egypt. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has long been a strong supporter of Palestinians. The country does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

“This is a form of Indonesian solidarity, a form of Indonesians’ concern for humanity,” Widodo says, “because the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza is unacceptable and must be stopped as soon as possible.”

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