International Courant
Medan, Indonesia – As Israeli tanks and troops besieged the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza final week, volunteer medical employee Fikri Rofiul Haq was confronted with the selection of evacuating to a secure place or staying together with his sufferers.
Haq and his Indonesian colleagues Reza Aldilla Kurniawan and Farid Zazabil Al Ayubi, volunteers with the Jakarta-based Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), selected to remain there till the Israeli military compelled them to go away, he mentioned.
“We have been evacuated through a route utilized by the Worldwide Crimson Cross, with the permission of the Israeli military. There have been three evacuations on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we have been evacuated final as a result of we gave precedence to the injured who have been within the Indonesian hospital,” Haq advised Al Jazeera.
Haq mentioned Israeli forces intentionally destroyed the Indonesian-funded hospital’s solely working generator by setting it on hearth and killed 12 individuals with indiscriminate shelling on the constructing’s first, second and third flooring.
“Earlier than we have been evacuated, the assaults have been getting worse and worse from hour to hour,” mentioned Haq, who was unable to speak for weeks till his evacuation to Khan Younis.
“I noticed it with my very own eyes. There have been three massive tanks about 50 meters from the Indonesian hospital constructing they usually fired periodically on the hospital, which was devastating. Now the Indonesian hospital has been utterly taken over by the Israeli military,” he mentioned.
Fikri Rofiul Haq has described the Israeli bombing of the Indonesian hospital (courtesy of MER-C)
Israeli forces, which initially gave medical employees and sufferers simply hours to go away the hospital, have been accused of destroying considered one of Gaza’s largest medical amenities within the days main as much as Friday’s four-day ceasefire with Hamas. started.
Gaza’s well being ministry mentioned Friday that Israeli hearth killed one lady and injured at the very least three different individuals within the closing hours earlier than the break.
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, who gained entry to the ability, reported that there was a “useless odor” exterior the hospital “as charred and decomposing our bodies, together with kids, piled up in corners.”
Sarbini Abdul Murad, the top of MER-C in Jakarta, mentioned the assaults on the hospital have been a violation of worldwide regulation and that Indonesia ought to do extra to carry Israel accountable given the nation’s ties to the hospital , which was inaugurated in 2016 by then-vice president of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla after being funded by donations from Indonesian residents and humanitarian organizations.
Nevertheless, Jakarta’s affect could also be restricted. Indonesia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and the hospital isn’t owned by Indonesia or Indonesians because it was donated to the individuals of Gaza.
“The Indonesian hospital was constructed with donations from Indonesian residents and the Indonesian flag flies as an emblem of our friendship,” Sarbini advised Al Jazeera.
“Essentially the most we at MER-C can do is symbolize the Indonesian individuals and encourage the Indonesian authorities and the Ministry of International Affairs to refer this case to the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC).”
“Everybody ought to foyer the ICC, particularly the large 5 (the 5 everlasting members of the UN Safety Council: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US), and name for a everlasting ceasefire,” he added.
Sarbini mentioned there aren’t any plans to completely evacuate the three Indonesian volunteers from Gaza as there’s nonetheless vital work for them to do in offering humanitarian help to the injured and displaced individuals in Khan Younis.
Sarbini Abdul Murad has known as on Indonesia to carry Israel accountable for its assaults on Indonesian hospital (courtesy of MER-C)
For now, Haq and his colleagues are taking inventory of their state of affairs as they determine how greatest to assist the individuals of Gaza.
He mentioned they’re nicely fed after surviving for days on dwindling meals and water rations within the besieged Indonesian hospital.
“Thank God now we have sufficient meals right here now and there are individuals promoting stuff across the European Hospital in Khan Younis,” Haq mentioned.
“We eat fries, fried eggplants and fried peppers. Generally we will have rice with a bit meat, and generally we eat native meals like bread and hummus.”
Volunteer remembers final hours in Indonesian hospital throughout Israeli siege | Israeli-Palestinian Battle Information
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