Indonesia to issue visas for Palestinian students ‘soon’

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KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Indonesia will soon issue visas for Palestinian students who received scholarships but were unable to attend classes due to the ongoing war in Gaza, local media reported Sunday.

Many Palestinian students’ visas expired as they were unable to travel due to ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the English daily Jakarta Globe reported.

“We will facilitate their arrival by issuing new visas or extending the existing ones as soon as possible,” Coordinating Minister for Human Rights, Immigration, Correctional, and Legal Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra was quoted as saying.

Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair Al-Shun raised the issue during a meeting with Yusril.

The two officials also discussed Indonesia’s support for Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.

Yusril said an Indonesia-funded hospital in Palestine is currently inoperable due to damage sustained during the conflict.

A cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,360 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.