Jakarta – Hundreds of doctors and health workers (Nakes) from various professional organisations and humanitarian institutions held a peaceful action in Jakarta on Monday April 7. The action was a form of solidarity with health workers and humanitarian volunteers who have fallen victim to the violence in Gaza, Palestine.
The action, titled Protect Them: Protect Health and Humanitarian Volunteers in Gaza, began at 3.30 pm near the Sarinah shopping mall in Central Jakarta, and continued with an ambulance convoy from the Horse Statue to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
The convoy went around the traffic circle three times as a form of symbolic respect for the medical staff that were killed recently in Gaza.
The rally, which was initiated by the Defend Palestine People's Alliance, was attended by around one hundred participants consisting of representatives of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), the Ministry of Health, the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), the Indonesian National Nurses Union (PPNI) and the Indonesian Red Crescent Moon (BSMI), as well as members of the general public.
Participants in the action brought humanitarian messages such as "Protect Health Workers, Ambulances Are Not a Target" and "Gaza is Also Our Business" as a form of protest against violations of international humanitarian law.
This action was held following Israel's admission in which it stated that the Israeli army shot 15 medical workers in southern Gaza on March 24.
Israel argued that the medical convoy was suspicious, but a video released by the New York Times showed an ambulance with its lights on when it was fired on. In the recording, a paramedic named Refat Radwan was heard saying his last prayers before being shot.
According to Doctors and Health Workers Forum for Palestine (FODKES Palestine) representative Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, as of April 7 the death toll in Gaza has reached 50,669 people, including 17,954 children and 13,365 women.
Of that number, 1,516 of them are health workers, while all of the hospitals in Gaza are in a state of paralyses with only 17 that are partially functioning.
"This is a form of peer solidarity, that we do not remain silent seeing medical colleagues being slaughtered while carrying out humanitarian duties", said Dr. Yanuarso.
FODKES Palestine issued seven demands at the rally. First, stop the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza and West Bank.
Second, condemning Israel and the United States who together have committed war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people, especially against health workers and humanitarian volunteers.
Third, urging the international community to immediately drag Israel back to the initial ceasefire agreement.
Fourth, urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the countries that are members of it to increase efforts to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Fifth, calling for all doctors and health workers in Indonesia and the world to increase solidarity in defence of their colleagues in Palestine and reject Israeli crimes against medical workers.
Six, deploring the attitude of Arab countries that are close to Palestine who remain silent without taking escalating steps to save the Palestinian people and stopping Israel's crimes.
Finally, encouraging all doctors, health workers and professional organisations to carry out similar actions as the one held today, as well as increasing boycott actions, social media campaigns and prayers to defend Palestine, in order to prove that #GazaIsNotAlone (#GazaTidakSendirian) (ugo/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Ratusan Dokter dan Nakes Gelar Aksi Bela Palestina di Jakpus".]
