Indonesia Sets Up Island Hospital for 2,000 Wounded Gazans

Post by : Monika

Photo: Reuters

Indonesia has announced a plan to open a special medical facility on Galang Island, a quiet and uninhabited island south of Singapore. This facility is being readied to treat around 2,000 Palestinians wounded in Gaza. Their families can stay with them temporarily. Importantly, this is a short-term effort: once patients recover, they will return home to Gaza.

Why Indonesia Is Stepping In
The need for help comes after a devastating wave of violence that began in October 2023 in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have died. Hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed and struggling to care for everyone in need. Indonesia’s response—setting up a hospital off the coast—aims to provide urgent care, but it is never intended as a permanent refuge. Indonesian leaders have made it clear that they support a fair two-state solution and reject any ideas of forced resettlement.

Galang Island: An Ideal Location
Galang Island was originally equipped with a hospital facility during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Before that, it served as a refugee camp from 1975 to 1996, where up to 250,000 Vietnamese refugees found safety. Now, it offers modern medical infrastructure and privacy, with no nearby residents—perfect for treating recovering patients in peace and safety.

Key Element    Details

• Location    Galang Island, isolated and uninhabited
• Capacity    Up to 2,000 patients plus family members
• Purpose    Provide short-term medical treatment, not long-term relocation
• Return Policy    All patients transported back to Gaza once they recover
• Ethics    No permanent resettlement; clear focus on medical care only
• Historical Context    Echoes Galang’s refugee heritage with a new humanitarian mission

What’s Driving This Initiative?

• Immediate Medical Aid: Gaza’s hospitals face dire shortages. Moving some patients overseas eases pressure.
• Humanitarian Leadership: Indonesia is showing regional moral leadership, particularly among countries that support Palestine.
• Preserving Rights: By avoiding permanent relocation, Indonesia is protecting Palestinian autonomy and rights.
• Symbolic Continuity: Galang’s past as a refugee site now serves another generation in crisis, showing a long-standing commitment to helping displaced people.

The Urgent Situation in Gaza

• Many hospitals in Gaza are damaged or nonfunctional.
• Power outages, ruined generators, and crowded wards make care almost impossible.
• Staff shortages and lack of fuel force medical workers to treat patients in darkness.
• Some medical facilities have been surrounded or bombed, making treatment unsafe.
• The Galang plan offers a way out—providing a place where wounded people can heal outside these dangers.

How the Plan Might Be Carried Out

• Selecting Patients: Wounded individuals and their families will be medically chosen for transport.
• Transport Logistics: Coordinated through Indonesia’s defense and foreign ministries to ensure safe passage.
• Recovery Period: Patients stay as long as needed until healthy enough to travel home.
• Returning Home: Once recovered, patients return safely to Gaza through coordinated efforts with international partners.
• These steps are still being worked out in detail, and schedules have not yet been announced.

Opportunities and Concerns

• Scalability: Handling up to 2,000 patients on an island raises logistical and care coordination questions.
• Transport Safety: Establishing regular, safe routes between Gaza and Galang is critical but complex.
• Ethical Clarity: Respecting that this is temporary care only helps avoid allegations of forced migration.
• Transparency: International observation and oversight will help maintain trust and effectiveness.

Why It Matters

• Immediate Relief: Takes pressure off suffering patients in Gaza.
• Principled Action: Supports care without compromising long-term Palestinian self-determination.
• Regional Leadership: Indonesia steps up as a humanitarian leader among nations caring about Gaza.
• Historical Resonance: Galang Island shifts from refugee camp to recovery center, continuing its legacy.

The Next Steps
Authorities will finalize the logistics, including who qualifies, how transport happens, and securing return routes. They are coordinating with international aid groups and local government offices. The plan needs careful explanations to avoid misunderstandings and ensure it is understood as a healing mission—not relocation.

Indonesia’s plan to use Galang Island as a temporary hospital for injured Palestinians is a major act of compassion. It shows how nations can respond to tragedy with solutions that not only help, but also respect people’s rights and dignity. When people recover, they go home to Gaza—not stay forever. It’s a thoughtful response to a humanitarian disaster.