JakartaPost-Nov 2
Already overcrowded, short staffed and undersupplied, the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza has only around two days left until it is completely out of fuel and becomes non-operational. But the opening of the city’s entry point from Egypt may provide hope for the health facility, as well as an opening for authorities to evacuate Indonesian nationals remaining in the war-torn area. The hospital has been forced to treat some 200 patients with the last drops of fuel it has, while staff and patients alike have been increasingly unable to access food and clean water, according to the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), the volunteer organization that funds the hospital. Since the fighting between Israeli armed forces and Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on Oct. 7, the Indonesian Hospital has been swamped with patients two to three times more than it can hold. “There are patients being treated on the floor,” MER-C presidium chairman Henry Hidayatullah told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.” The supply of basic necessities has been prevented from entering the city by Israel, causing disruptions to health facilities needed to treat wounded civilians. Parts of the Indonesian Hospital have been damaged from the strikes over the past three weeks. Jakarta continues to negotiate on the opening of a separate corridor for fuel and other humanitarian aid, said ministry spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, suggesting that the Rafah opening would not likely give relief to Gaza’s remaining hospitals. With no promising signs of aid anytime soon, the last days of the Indonesian Hospital are seemingly imminent, especially in the eyes of people who work there. “We’re not able to handle more victims,” said Athef, a doctor at the hospital. “The hospital will stop operating soon.” Read more at:
