JAKARTA - The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has never received any information regarding the plan to temporarily transfer the citizens of the Gaza Strip to Indonesia, as stated by a US Government transition official.
In an NBC News report, a transitional official with direct knowledge of the Hamas-Israelian ceasefire process in the Gaza Strip said Indonesia was one of the locations discussed to serve as a temporary relocation destination for Palestinians.
It is said to be related to how to rebuild the Palestinian enclave and where a total of 2 million Palestinians can be temporarily relocated.
"The Indonesian government has never received any information about this," said Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Roy Soemirat in a brief statement, Monday, January 20.
The report also said it was unclear whether Gazans were willing to be relocated remains unclear.
Mentioned, the idea of relocation is highly controversial among Palestinians and fellow Arabs, where it is believed to be the first step for Israel to force Palestinians to leave their homeland.
The transition official said US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was considering a visit to the Gaza Strip, as part of his efforts to keep the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on track.
It is known that Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement last Wednesday and came into effect on Sunday, after a few hours back.
Witkoff is planned to be present almost constantly in the region for weeks until and months to address issues that he thinks could cancel the deal and stop the release of hostages detained by Hamas at all times, the official said.
"You have to really master it, be ready to solve the problem if that happens," the official said.
At the same time, Witkoff is trying to achieve long-term stability for Israel and 2 million Palestinians who are expelled.
For now, the main concern of Trump's envoy is the rogue incident sparked by the inevitable daily interaction between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza's territory and its surroundings, even with the ceasefire agreement.
"Remember, there are many people, radicals, fanatics, not only from the Hamas side, from the right wing of the Israeli side, who are really encouraged to destroy this whole deal," the transition official said.
Visiting Gaza would allow Witkoff to see for himself the dynamics there, rather than just believing in Israeli or Palestinian words, the official said, adding: "You have to see it, you have to feel it."
While managing the current phase of the deal and negotiating the next phase, Trump and his team are also struggling with long-term solutions.
"If we don't help Gazans, if we don't make their lives better, if we don't give them hope, there will be an uprising," the transition official said.
The latest conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region, leaving 1,200 people dead and 250 others held hostage, according to Israeli calculations.
Yesterday, Gaza's health authorities confirmed that the death toll from Palestine since October 2023 has reached 46,913 people. Meanwhile, there were 110,750 injured. The majority of victims were children and women, quoted from WAFA.
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