Nearly two weeks after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake devastated parts of Flores, support arrived from a nation facing profound hardship of its own. On 27 August 2026, the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Jakarta delivered humanitarian assistance to communities affected across East Nusa Tenggara.
The gesture offered a striking expression of reciprocity in a relationship more commonly associated with Indonesia’s support for Palestine. This time, Palestinians reached across borders to stand with Indonesians confronting loss, displacement and an uncertain recovery.
A Message Delivered with the Aid
The humanitarian initiative was coordinated under Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdalfatah A.K. Alsattari. Although the embassy did not disclose the assistance’s value or detailed contents, it said the aid was intended to support urgent community needs while conveying the concern and friendship of the Palestinian people.
“Our solidarity is rooted in the values of humanity that we share,” Alsattari said. “Palestine stands with the people of East Nusa Tenggara and all Indonesians.”
The contribution followed an official expression of condolences from the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly after the earthquake. The ministry conveyed solidarity with Indonesia’s government and people, offered condolences to bereaved families and expressed hope that rescuers would reach those trapped or isolated.
For the embassy, the assistance also carried a universal message. East Nusa Tenggara’s diverse communities received support based on humanitarian need, showing that solidarity between the two countries extends beyond religion and political diplomacy.
Flores Confronts a Long Recovery
The earthquake struck offshore near Flores on 15 August, damaging communities across seven districts. By 22 August, provisional figures from Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency recorded 1,298 injured people and more than 150,000 temporarily displaced residents.
BNPB also reported damage to 53,971 homes, including more than 19,000 classified as severely damaged. The emergency response was complicated by difficult island geography, damaged access routes and more than 5,000 recorded aftershocks during the first week.
By the eighth day, the Indonesian authorities had distributed 954 tonnes of relief supplies through 68 flights to logistics centres in Labuan Bajo and Maumere. Assistance from the Palestinian Embassy joined contributions from provincial governments, humanitarian organisations, businesses, volunteers and local communities.
“You are not alone. The government is present and will continue to assist,” BNPB chief Suharyanto told survivors during a visit to Ende. He emphasized that the response would continue from the emergency phase through housing reconstruction and community recovery.
Solidarity That Moves in Both Directions
Indonesia and Palestine established formal diplomatic relations in October 1989, but the emotional foundations of their friendship stretch back to Indonesia’s independence era. Indonesian historical accounts remember early Palestinian expressions of support for the country’s struggle against colonial rule.
Over subsequent decades, Indonesia became one of Palestine’s most consistent diplomatic and humanitarian supporters. Indonesian government agencies, civil-society organisations and ordinary citizens have delivered food, medicine, clean water, shelter and financial contributions to Palestinians. By February 2025, Indonesia’s National Alms Agency had collected more than Rp320 billion for Palestine.
Yet assistance has not moved in only one direction. In December 2025, a Gaza resident identified as Abu Ahmad reportedly donated US$1,000 through the Indonesian Committee for Palestinian Solidarity to people affected by floods and landslides in Sumatra. The amount was modest beside the scale of the disaster, but its origin gave the contribution exceptional meaning.
The NTT relief effort continued that tradition of reciprocal care. It demonstrated that people experiencing their own crisis can still choose to help others—turning diplomatic friendship into practical compassion.
Brotherhood Tested in Difficult Times
The Palestinian Embassy expressed appreciation to Indonesian authorities and humanitarian partners involved in the earthquake response, while also thanking the Indonesian public for its enduring friendship and support for Palestine.
For families across Flores, the embassy’s contribution forms only one part of a much larger recovery effort. Its symbolic weight, however, reaches beyond the quantity of assistance delivered.
Friendship between Palestine and Indonesia has often been expressed through speeches, public rallies and diplomatic commitments. In East Nusa Tenggara, it took a more immediate form: one people extending a hand to another in a moment of disaster, proving that solidarity becomes most meaningful when it travels both ways.
