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Indonesia is set to convert a medical facility on its uninhabited Galang Island to treat about 2,000 wounded residents of Gaza, a presidential spokesperson announced on Thursday.

The Muslim-majority nation has previously sent humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israel started an offensive in October 2023 that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, whether fighters or non-combatants.

“Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris,” spokesperson Hasan Nasbi told reporters, adding that the exercise was not an evacuation.

Indonesia plans to allocate the facility on Galang island, off its island of Sumatra and south of Singapore, to treat wounded Gaza residents and temporarily shelter their families, he said, adding that nobody lives around it now.

The patients would be taken back to Gaza after they had healed, he said.

According to the UN, 92 per cent of homes in Gaza are either destroyed or damaged, and the destruction is so widespread that it could take 21 years to rebuild if the conflict stops.

Ceasefire talks have collapsed, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly favouring a complete military takeover of Gaza, starting with the widening of the current already devastating offensive on the destroyed strip.

Rare aerial footage shows the extent of the devastation in Gaza, with tents stretching out towards the horizon as far as the eye can see.

The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.

Israel announced early Friday that it plans to take over Gaza City, the largest urban area in the territory and one that has already suffered extensive devastation in repeated Israeli raids.

Another major ground operation in one of the few areas of Gaza not already under evacuation orders would likely spark even more mass displacement and further disrupt efforts to deliver desperately needed food in the territory, where experts have warned that famine is unfolding.

Israel has faced mounting calls from many of its closest allies to end the war, and the plan faces opposition within Israel from families of the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and members of the security establishment who say there is little to gain militarily at this point.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says more military pressure is needed to achieve Israel’s goals of returning the hostages and destroying Hamas.

Israeli media reports suggest a rift between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir over the Gaza strategy.

While Netanyahu’s office announced plans to take over Gaza City, it rejected an alternative proposal, believed to be Zamir’s, which warned that full occupation could entangle Israel in a prolonged insurgency, increase humanitarian burdens, and endanger hostages, according to The Guardian.

Indonesia plans to convert a medical facility on uninhabited Galang Island into a treatment and temporary shelter centre for around 2,000 wounded Palestinians from Gaza, according to the president’s spokesperson.

“Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris,” the spokesperson, Hasan Nasbi, said on Thursday.

The patients would be returned to Gaza after recovery, though details on logistics remain unclear.

Israel’s security cabinet has approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to occupy Gaza City, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.

Netanyahu’s office wrote on X: “The Political-Security Cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s proposal for the defeat of Hamas.

“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones.”