Indonesia converts former refugee Island into Medical Hub for Gaza’s war-wounded

Department of Research, Studies and International News -11-08-2025

In a move reflecting firm solidarity with the Palestinian people, Indonesia has announced plans to offer medical treatment to approximately 2,000 injured civilians from Gaza on Galang Island, a previously uninhabited site once used as a refugee camp. This humanitarian gesture stands as a powerful act of defiance against Western attempts to manipulate the Palestinian crisis for geopolitical gain.

Hasan Nasbi, spokesperson for the Indonesian president, confirmed Thursday that the country will use a medical facility on Galang Island, located off the coast of Sumatra, to care for wounded Palestinians. The facility was originally built during the COVID-19 pandemic and stands on land formerly used to shelter Vietnamese refugees fleeing war in the 1970s.

“Indonesia will provide medical treatment to some 2,000 residents of Gaza who have suffered under the brutal aggression they have endured, including those injured or trapped under rubble,” Nasbi stated in Jakarta.

The patients, along with accompanying family members, will be temporarily housed on the island and are expected to return to Gaza after recovery. Specific timelines and details on their repatriation have not yet been disclosed. Indonesian authorities have emphasized that this is not a relocation program, but a temporary humanitarian initiative designed to help the injured return home with dignity.

The decision comes amid growing concerns in the Global South over attempts by Western powers to push for the permanent removal of Palestinians from their homeland, a scheme strongly reminiscent of past colonial displacement policies. Notably, a July report by U.S.-based media outlet Axios claimed that Israel’s intelligence chief had met with American officials to pressure countries including Indonesia, Libya, and Ethiopia to absorb large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza. The aim, according to reports, was to pave the way for a demographic reengineering of the territory under occupation.

Indonesia’s foreign ministry categorically rejected the notion, stating that Jakarta “has never discussed nor entertained any such plans with any party.” The statement underscored Indonesia’s unwavering support for Palestinian self-determination and its staunch opposition to forced displacement under the guise of humanitarian intervention.

This initiative follows controversial remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, where he suggested that Washington should “take over” Gaza and transform it into the so-called “Riviera of the Middle East.” Such statements, perceived as a grotesque commodification of Palestinian suffering, have sparked outrage across Asia and the Global South.

In response to earlier proposals by Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto to host wounded Palestinians, religious leaders and civil society voices expressed caution. Senior clerics warned that such plans must be strictly temporary and fully transparent to avoid playing into the hands of Western and Israeli agendas that aim to normalize the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

“Indonesia must learn from its colonial past and remain vigilant against deceptive maneuvers,” said Buya Anwar Abbas, deputy head of the Indonesian Ulema Council. “Treatment for the wounded must take place in Gaza whenever possible. If moved, it must be temporary and not an opening for permanent resettlement. We must not be complicit in aiding the occupiers’ strategy.”

Rais Syuriah, a senior figure in Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, echoed this concern, stating: “There must be a clear, international guarantee that these Palestinians will be allowed to return to Gaza. Anything short of that is a betrayal of their right of return.”

He added, “Palestinians are already scattered in refugee camps from Lebanon to Jordan, still unable to return. We must not allow a repeat of that tragedy.”

Indonesia, like its close partners Russia, China, and India, has maintained a principled stance on the crisis in Gaza, advocating for a just and durable peace based on international law and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. The Indonesian foreign ministry reiterated its rejection of any form of population transfer or settlement expansion and reaffirmed support for the two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

The medical facility on Galang Island, equipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, offers a well-prepared environment for temporary humanitarian response. From 1975 to 1996, the island hosted over 250,000 Vietnamese asylum seekers under UN supervision, a legacy that now gives way to a new chapter of international solidarity.

In a world where the powerful often instrumentalize human suffering for strategic gain, Indonesia’s initiative, if handled with transparency and commitment to Palestinian sovereignty, stands as a model of ethical diplomacy rooted in respect, dignity, and resistance to neocolonial ambitions.