Indonesia is set to deploy a humanitarian mission operated by the Air Force to deliver much-needed aid to Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Maj. Gen. Gabriel Lema (left, front), assistant to the Indonesian Military (TNI) operations chief, leads a roll call on March 26, 2024 at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta, while the Indonesian Air Force team assigned to drop humanitarian in the Gaza Strip stand in formation before the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules it will use on the mission. (Courtesy of the Indonesian Air Force/-)
T
he Indonesian Air Force is preparing to send its newest heavy transport aircraft, the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The 10-day humanitarian mission to Gaza is to involve 27 Air Force personnel led by 1st Air Wing commander Col. Noto Casnoto from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta, the Air Force said in a statement posted on Tuesday to its official Instagram account (@militer.udara).
The mission launches from Jakarta, and includes stops in Aceh, Myanmar, India, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, from where it is to proceed into the airspace over Gaza to air-drop the parachute goods.
The team is to fly the same route on its return leg.
Maj. Gen. Gabriel Lema, assistant to the Indonesian Military (TNI) operations chief, inspected on Tuesday the team’s readiness at Halim air base. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal Donald Kasenda, chief of staff of the Indonesian Air Force National Air Operations Command (Koopsudnas), and Air Vice Marshal Mohammad Nurdin, commander of the Air Operations Command 1 (Koopsud 1).
Gabriel said the prolonged conflict in Gaza had drawn the world’s attention to the fact that humanitarian intervention was imperative.
“Indonesia will dispatch 900 personnel and parachute goods to Jordan for distributing aid to Palestine using the cargo delivery system [CDS], or airdrop,” he added.
