Indonesia responds to information that Israel brought Gazans to the country

Palestinians evacuate to avoid conflict in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, March 18. Photo: THX/TTXVN

The Times of Israel reported on April 27 that the first group of 100 Gazans will fly to Indonesia to work, as part of a pilot program to encourage Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate from the Gaza Strip.

The pilot program is run by Major General Ghassan Alian, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT) unit. Palestinians in Gaza who participate in the program can be recruited into the construction industry, Channel 12 reported.

According to local media, the Israeli government hopes that if the pilot program is successful, thousands of Gazans will be encouraged to voluntarily move to Indonesia to work and then decide to resettle permanently in the Southeast Asian country, which is 87 percent Muslim.

However, this would require Indonesia's consent. In addition, the Times of Israel reported that because Israel and Indonesia do not have diplomatic relations, a special communication channel has been opened between Tel Aviv and Jakarta to develop the program. If the pilot program is successful, a "migration authority" established by the Israeli government would be responsible for its implementation.

As for Indonesia, the country's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat quickly denied the information reported by Israeli media.

“The Indonesian government has never discussed with anyone or received any information about the plan to relocate Gaza residents to Indonesia as reported by some foreign media,” Rolliansyah Soemirat told reporters on March 27. “We can confirm that there has been no discussion or agreement between Indonesia and anyone regarding this issue.”

Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman said the Southeast Asian nation's main focus now is the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as Gaza reconstruction efforts.

Indonesia has previously expressed its support for the final statement of the Arab Summit on joint efforts to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after the conflict. “We welcome the Cairo Declaration, which is the outcome of the Arab Summit on efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip,” Rolliansyah Soemirat said on March 6.

The Arab summit held on March 4 adopted the Cairo Declaration, which includes an initial recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza.

Scene of devastation caused by conflict in Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip. Photo: THX/TTXVN

At the Cairo summit, Arab leaders strongly rejected any attempt to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank to neighboring countries. The final statement of the summit said Arab states supported Egypt's response plan to US President Donald Trump's proposal for a "US takeover of Gaza".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty added that the Arab Summit unanimously approved a proposal to restore and reconstruct Gaza, stressing that the strip must be governed by independent Palestinians.

The five-year plan for rebuilding Gaza, drawn up by Egypt, is estimated to cost $53 billion. According to the plan, nearly half of Gaza’s population will be relocated to seven safe zones in the territory while reconstruction work is carried out. Arab and UN forces will be deployed to monitor Gaza’s land border crossings. There is also a proposal to build a new port on the Mediterranean to receive construction materials and equipment for the Gaza reconstruction plan.

According to a United Nations (UN) analysis in September 2024, more than two-thirds of Gaza's structures were damaged or destroyed in the conflict that broke out on October 7, 2023.

In Gaza, Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire and hostage release deal starting on January 19, including the release of 33 Israeli hostages. Negotiations are underway to potentially extend the first phase or move to a second phase of the truce, although Israel has warned that fighting could return.

Since March 18, Israel has carried out a series of fierce airstrikes on Gaza. The March 18 attack alone killed over 400 Palestinians and drew international criticism. CNN (USA) said this was the "deadliest day" in Gaza since October 2023.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/indonesia-phan-hoi-thong-tin-israel-dua-nguoi-gaza-den-nuoc-nay-20250328111711068.htm