‘Bombed left and right’: Some Southeast Asian nationals seek to escape Israel-Hamas war but journey home challenging

SINGAPORE: Amid the Israeli air strikes over Gaza, Indonesian aid worker Abdillah Onim now lives among bombed houses with his life constantly under threat. 

“The houses of Gazans were bombed and razed to the ground. What you see in the media is really happening,” the 44-year-old told CNA. As he spoke, the sounds of explosions and fighter jets rattled in the background. 

Mr Onim – who is married to a Gazan and has three young children – has lived in Gaza since 2009. Following the recent conflict, he has been forced to consider returning to Indonesia, though the journey to his home country looks set to be an arduous one. 

Mr Onim – in a webinar organised by the Islamic University of Indonesia on Tuesday (Oct 10) – said that he would try to evacuate to Egypt “in the near future” with his children and wife.

He admitted, however, that his plan is “just wishful thinking”. 

“Even though it’s been well coordinated, if you can’t leave your house, you can’t go … If there is no transportation to the border, it cannot be done. Ambulances are targeted, regular vehicles are missiled. 

“I’m just waiting to see how the International Red Cross can pick me up in front of my house when I’m being bombed left and right,” said Mr Onim. 

“The trip to the border will be like an action movie, you can’t imagine a car running in the middle of a bombing.” 

Mr Onim is one of many foreigners in Israel and the Palestinian Territories who are now seriously contemplating leaving the war-torn region for their home countries. However, the siege on Gaza which was imposed by Israel on Monday complicates the situation for those seeking to evacuate the area. 

Following the surprise attack by the militant group Hamas on Saturday, governments in Southeast Asia have issued advisories for citizens in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. 

Among them is Singapore, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday advised Singaporeans to leave Israel and the Palestinian Territories “as soon as possible via available commercial options”. 

Thailand and the Philippines, which have a sizable number of its nationals working in Israel, said they are working to repatriate those who want to return home while Malaysian relief organisation Mercy Malaysia told CNA that it will not be entering Gaza due to the “challenging” situation there. 

Malaysia has not yet released any statistics on the number of Malaysians in Israel or the Palestinian Territories. 

One security expert whom CNA spoke to also noted the difficulties in coordinating repatriation efforts for foreign nationals, especially for countries with no formal relations with the Israeli government.