Indonesia to Host 2,000 Gaza War Wounded

Uninhabited Island Facility to Offer Medical Aid

Indonesia is preparing to convert a medical facility on an uninhabited island to treat approximately 2,000 residents of Gaza injured by the ongoing conflict.

Medical Hub on Galang Island

The facility, located on Galang island off Sumatra, will provide care for those wounded in the war, including individuals rescued from debris, according to presidential spokesperson Hasan Nasbi. The plan also includes temporary shelter for the families of these patients.

“Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris.”

—Hasan Nasbi, Spokesperson

The patients are expected to return to Gaza once they have recovered. Details regarding the timeline and guarantees for their safe return have not yet been provided.

Context of International Aid Offers

This initiative follows a July report suggesting that Israel’s Mossad spy agency sought U.S. assistance in persuading countries, including Indonesia, to accept large numbers of displaced Palestinians from Gaza. At the time of that report, an Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson had denied any such discussions.

Previously, Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subianto offered to host wounded Palestinians, an offer that drew criticism from some Indonesian clerics who voiced concerns it mirrored suggestions of permanent Palestinian displacement.

The Ulema Council’s deputy chair, Buya Anwar Abbas, cautioned Indonesians in April, urging them to be wary of such proposals and learn from historical instances of deception during prolonged occupations. He stated that medical aid should ideally be administered within Gaza itself.

“As a nation that endured 350 years of colonisation, we must recognise that occupiers have countless tricks and deceptions. We must not fall for their sweet words.”

—Buya Anwar Abbas, Deputy Chair of Indonesia’s Ulema Council

Another prominent Indonesian Muslim leader questioned the long-term implications of such arrangements, asking about the guarantee of return and the potential for facilitating further Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Indonesia, a nation with a Muslim majority, has previously dispatched humanitarian aid to Gaza following Israel’s offensive, which Gaza health officials report has resulted in over 60,000 Palestinian casualties. The Indonesian foreign ministry has consistently supported a two-state solution and rejected forced displacement of Palestinians.

The Galang island facility has a history of humanitarian use, having served as a refugee camp for Vietnamese asylum seekers until 1996 and later hosting a COVID-19 treatment center in 2020.

Globally, the number of displaced persons reached a record 117.3 million in 2023, underscoring the scale of humanitarian challenges arising from conflicts worldwide (UNHCR 2024).