The Indonesian government expressed its strong condemnation and categorical rejection of the Israeli occupation forces' act of raising a military propaganda banner over the ruins of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. Official sources confirmed that this action represents a blatant violation of the sanctity of medical facilities destroyed by Israeli shelling during the ongoing aggression on the Strip, noting that this step reflects a disregard for humanitarian and international values.
The banner, which angered Jakarta, bears the slogan 'Rising Lion,' a symbol referring to an Israeli military operation carried out against Iran last year and lasting for 12 days. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in an official statement that placing military symbols associated with war operations over the rubble of a health facility is a provocative act for which no legal or moral justification can be found under the current circumstances.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry stressed that this act represents a direct insult to the feelings of the Indonesian people and their solidarity with the Palestinians, as the hospital was built with full funding from donations from Indonesian citizens. The statement clarified that the medical facility was the fruit of humanitarian efforts led by the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, which raised huge sums amounting to approximately 7.3 million dollars to serve the people of northern Gaza.
The history of the Indonesian Hospital dates back to late 2015, where it was designed to be a medical edifice providing healthcare to thousands of Palestinians in the northern areas of the Strip before it was systematically destroyed. Sources indicated that the occupation repeatedly tried to justify targeting the hospital through claims of tunnels belonging to the resistance beneath it, allegations that Jakarta categorically denied with technical evidence in 2023.
In a related context, Indonesia called on the international community to intervene to protect civilian infrastructure and medical facilities, which must remain neutral and protected under the rules of international humanitarian law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in its statement on the occupation authorities to immediately cease practices that endanger the lives of civilians and relief facilities, emphasizing that respect for hospitals is a duty that cannot be waived under any military pretext.
It is worth noting that the Indonesian Hospital had been subjected to a complete siege and direct shelling, leading to its complete incapacitation, as part of the policy of targeting the healthcare system in Gaza. This incident further escalates diplomatic tension between Jakarta and Tel Aviv, at a time when Indonesia continues its international efforts to support the rights of the Palestinian people and demand an immediate ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid.
Using military symbols and propaganda over the ruins of a destroyed hospital is a highly provocative and unjustifiable act, and it is an insult to a facility built with the solidarity of the Indonesian people.
שתף את דעתך
Indonesia Condemns Raising of Israeli Military Banner Over Ruins of Gaza Hospital Funded by Jakarta