Indonesia president offers temporary shelter for Gazans

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday said he was prepared to grant temporary shelter to Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza between the Israeli military and the territory’s rulers Hamas.

Nearly 400,000 Gaza residents have been displaced in the weeks since Israel resumed military operations in the territory last month, according to the United Nations.

“We are ready to receive wounded victims,” Prabowo said before leaving for a Middle East visit to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan.

“We are ready to send planes to transport them. We estimate the numbers may be 1,000 for the first wave.”

Wounded Palestinians and “traumatized, orphaned children” would be prioritized, he said.

He said he had instructed his foreign minister to talk with Palestinian officials and “parties in the region” on how to evacuate wounded or orphaned Gazans.

The victims would only be in Indonesia until they recovered and it was safe for their return.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has consistently called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to Turkish media, Prabowo will be afforded the rare opportunity to address the Turkish parliament.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of the main backers of the Palestinian cause and visited Indonesia in February, where the pair pledged closer ties.