Shock in Jakarta, MPs demand action after Israel assassinates Indonesian hospital director

Special Shock in Jakarta, MPs demand action after Israel assassinates Indonesian hospital director
Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, right, receives Indonesian medical volunteers from the Jakarta-based Medical Emergency Rescue Committee in Gaza, Sept. 10, 2024. (MER-C)
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Updated 03 July 2025
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Shock in Jakarta, MPs demand action after Israel assassinates Indonesian hospital director

Shock in Jakarta, MPs demand action after Israel assassinates Indonesian hospital director
  • Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan, renowned cardiac surgeon, was killed in targeted Israeli airstrike
  • Israel has killed at least 492 doctors and health workers in Gaza since October 2023

JAKARTA/DUBAI: Israel’s assassination of Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, has sparked shock in Jakarta, with parliamentarians calling for new international accountability mechanisms to hold Israel legally responsible for its crimes in Gaza.

A renowned cardiac surgeon and one of Palestine’s most senior doctors, Dr. Al-Sultan graduated from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Hyderabad, Pakistan, in 2001.

He was killed along with his wife and children in an Israeli airstrike on their temporary residence in northern Gaza on Wednesday.

His surviving daughter, Lubna, told the media that the missile “targeted his room exactly, right where he was.” Her testimony confirmed statements from the Gaza Ministry of Health and the Jakarta-based Medical Emergency Rescue Committee — which funded the Indonesia Hospital in Beit Lahia — that the attack was a targeted assassination.

“The attack on Dr. Marwan was utterly savage and barbaric,” Dr. Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C’s board of trustees, told Arab News.

“It was a shock to hear the news. I couldn’t believe it. He was the only heart specialist left in the north. This is a huge loss.”

The Indonesia Hospital in Beit Lahia, one of the biggest health facilities in Gaza, was one of the first targeted by Israel when it started its deadly war on the Palestinian enclave in October 2023.

Dr. Al-Sultan had never left his post, remaining with patients through multiple Israeli offensives on the hospital and personally overseeing repairs to restore essential services, MER-C said in a statement recalling how in December 2024, he evacuated the facility while under Israeli siege.

The moment was recorded on a mobile phone, showing Dr. Al-Sultan leaving only after he had ensured the safety of every patient.

The Indonesia Hospital opened in late 2015. Coordinated by MER-C, its construction and equipment were financed from donations of the Indonesian people, with dozens of engineers and builders volunteering to design and build the facility and to prepare its operations.

The killing of Dr. Al-Sultan has spurred outcry in Indonesia, with the government issuing an official condemnation and lawmakers from the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation calling on parliamentarians around the world to “push for international accountability mechanisms” to ensure that “crimes against humanity be immediately brought to international forums, including global parliamentary bodies, so that Israel can be held legally and morally accountable for its actions in Gaza.”

Israel has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 133,000 others, since October 2023. The true death toll is feared to be much higher, with research published in The Lancet medical journal in January estimating an underreporting of deaths by 41 percent.

The study says the death toll may be even higher, as it does not include deaths caused by starvation, injury and lack of access to health care, caused by the Israeli military’s destruction of most of Gaza’s infrastructure and the blocking of medical and food aid.

Data from the UN and international health organizations shows that Israel has killed at least 492 doctors and medics in Gaza since October 2023.

Dr. Al-Sultan is the 70th health care worker to be killed in the last 50 days, according to Healthcare Workers Watch.

“He was a prominent medical figure, both as a heart specialist and director of the Indonesia Hospital,” Dr. Hadiki Habib, chairman of MER-C’s executive committee, told Arab News.

“We had feared that this could happen, but he had said that he would remain in Gaza and, if he were to be martyred, it would be in his homeland.”


Doctor pleads guilty to selling Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s death

Doctor pleads guilty to selling Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s death
Updated 4 min 16 sec ago
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Doctor pleads guilty to selling Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s death

Doctor pleads guilty to selling Matthew Perry ketamine in the weeks before the actor’s death
  • Dr. Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to plead guilty
  • Plasencia, 43, was to have gone on trial in August until the doctor agreed last month to plead guilty

LOS ANGELES: A doctor pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia became the fourth of the five people charged in connection with Perry’s death to plead guilty. He stood next to his lawyer and admitted guilt to four counts to Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in federal court in Los Angeles.

Plasencia, 43, was to have gone on trial in August until the doctor agreed last month to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according to the signed document filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

He spoke only to answer the judge’s questions. When asked if his lawyers had considered all the possibilities of pleas and sentencing in the case, Plasencia replied, “They’ve considered everything.”

He had previously pleaded not guilty, but in exchange for the guilty pleas prosecutors have agreed to drop three additional counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of falsifying records.

Prosecutors outlined the charges in court before the plea, and said, as Plasencia’s lawyers have emphasized, that he did not sell Perry the dose that killed the actor.

They described, and Plasencia admitted, that Perry froze up and his blood pressure spiked when the doctor gave him one injection, but Plasencia still left more ketamine for Perry’s assistant to inject.

In court, Perry was referred to only as “victim MP.”

The charges can carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and there is no guarantee Plasencia will get less, but he’s likely to. He has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in August, and will be allowed to remain free until his Dec. 3 sentencing.

Plasencia left the courthouse with his lawyers without speaking to reporters gathered outside.

The only remaining defendant who has not reached an agreement with the US Attorney’s Office is Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors allege is a drug dealer known as the “Ketamine Queen” and sold Perry the lethal dose. Her trial is scheduled to begin next month. She has pleaded not guilty.

According to prosecutors and co-defendants who reached their own deals, Plasencia illegally supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine starting about a month before his death on Oct. 28, 2023.

According to a co-defendant, Plasencia in a text message called the actor a “moron” who could be exploited for money.

Perry’s personal assistant, his friend, and another doctor all agreed to plead guilty last year in exchange for their cooperation as the government sought to make their case against larger targets, Plasencia and Sangha. None have been sentenced yet.

Perry was found dead by the assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.

The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal but off-label treatment for depression, which has become increasingly common. Perry, 54, began seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.

Plasencia admitted in his plea agreement that another patient connected him with Perry, and that starting about a month before Perry’s death, he illegally supplied the actor with 20 vials of ketamine totaling 100 mg of the drug, along with ketamine lozenges and syringes.

He admitted to enlisting another doctor, Mark Chavez, to supply the drug for him, according to the court filings.

“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to Chavez’s plea agreement.

After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500, Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to,” prosecutors said.

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit.


Mayor of London urges UK government to recognize Palestinian state

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. (File/AFP)
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. (File/AFP)
Updated 43 min 58 sec ago
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Mayor of London urges UK government to recognize Palestinian state

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. (File/AFP)
  • Sadiq Khan asserts that there ‘can be no 2-state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine’
  • Rescheduled UN international conference to be held in New York from July 28-29 to gather support for recognition of Palestinian statehood

LONDON: The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has urged the UK government to recognize a Palestinian state as pressure mounts from the ruling Labour Party on Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a UN conference addressing the Palestinian question.

Khan said on Wednesday that the UK government should “immediately recognize Palestinian statehood” and asserted that there “can be no two-state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.”

Senior Labour figures, including Wes Streeting, Shabana Mahmood, and Hilary Benn, have called on the UK government to bring forward its recognition of Palestine. The UK has consistently stated it would recognize Palestine in conjunction with allies “at the point of maximum impact.”

A rescheduled international conference will be held in New York from July 28-29, sponsored by Saudi Arabia and France, to gather support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood. The organizers postponed the gathering planned for June due to the sudden conflict between Israel and Iran that occurred in the same month.

Khan’s statement comes against the backdrop of starvation impacting the 2 million residents of the Gaza Strip amid ongoing Israeli attacks and aid restrictions. Khan said that “the absolutely harrowing scenes of suffering in Gaza are being made worse by the day, with no sign of the crisis abating.”

He added: “Starving children searching hopelessly for food in the rubble; family members shot dead by Israeli soldiers as they search for aid. In heartbreaking scenes, innocent lives are being torn apart before the eyes of the world.

“The international community — including our own government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific, senseless killing and let vital lifesaving aid in. Nothing justifies the actions of the Israeli government.

“The UK must immediately recognize Palestinian statehood. There can be no two-state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.”

Khan’s remarks echoed a rare intervention on foreign policy by Streeting, the health minister, during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.

Streeting said: “I sincerely hope that the international community can come together, as the foreign secretary has been driving towards, to make sure that we see an end of this war, but also that we recognize the state of Palestine while there is a state of Palestine left to recognize.”


Cyprus struggles to contain wildfire, homes damaged

Cyprus struggles to contain wildfire, homes damaged
Updated 13 sec ago
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Cyprus struggles to contain wildfire, homes damaged

Cyprus struggles to contain wildfire, homes damaged
  • The fire was raging in terrain north of the southern city of Limassol
  • 14 aircraft and workers on the ground were trying to extinguish the blaze

NICOSIA: Firefighters in Cyprus were battling on Wednesday to contain a huge wildfire forcing the evacuation of at least four villages on the first day of a heatwave which sent temperatures soaring.

Authorities said the fire was raging in terrain north of the southern city of Limassol, stoked by strong winds and high temperatures.

“I can confirm that there is considerable damage to some dwellings,” fire brigade spokesperson Andreas Kettis told Cyprus’s state broadcaster CyBC.

He said 14 aircraft and workers on the ground were trying to extinguish the blaze, which broke out around midday on Wednesday.

Temperatures on the east Mediterranean island hit 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) inland on Wednesday, forcing authorities to issue an amber weather warning. It was expected to climb further to 44 C on Thursday, making it the hottest day of the year.

Although heatwaves and forest fires are common, the impact on human life and the damage have become more pronounced in recent years. Four men from Egypt died in a fire in 2021.


Indonesia stands to lose in ‘historic’ Trump trade deal, experts say

Indonesia stands to lose in ‘historic’ Trump trade deal, experts say
Updated 23 July 2025
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Indonesia stands to lose in ‘historic’ Trump trade deal, experts say

Indonesia stands to lose in ‘historic’ Trump trade deal, experts say
  • Jakarta to cut tariffs, scrap non-tariff barriers on US goods under new trade agreement
  • US is Indonesia’s second-largest export market, with 2024 exports valued at over $26bn

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s new tariff deal granting the US duty-free access to its market is likely to undermine Southeast Asia’s largest economy, experts say, as the White House announced the agreement’s detailed terms on Wednesday.

Jakarta has agreed to drop its tariff on nearly all American imports to zero and scrap all non-tariff barriers facing American firms, while US tariffs on Indonesian imports would be set at 19 percent, according to a joint statement released by the White House.  

The framework on the US-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade was issued following negotiations that took place earlier this month, after President Donald Trump threatened to levy a 32 percent duty on Indonesian exports. 

“The golden age is here … The United States and Indonesia have reached a historic trade deal,” the White House said.

The agreement will also exempt US food and agricultural products from Indonesia’s import licensing regimes, remove barriers for digital trade and remove export restrictions on critical minerals.

Jakarta’s new deal with Washington, which is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, is putting Indonesia at a disadvantage, experts say. 

“This deal is not benefiting us. We used to face zero tariffs and now it’s 19 percent. Even though this is lower than 32 percent, Indonesia shouldn’t have accepted the deal because we stand to lose here,” Yose Rizal Damuri, executive director at the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Arab News. 

The US is Indonesia’s second-largest market after China, with exports valued at over $26 billion in 2024, according to Indonesia’s statistics agency.  

Indonesia has consistently posted trade surpluses with the US in the past decade. Last year, that figure stood at about $16.8 billion. 

The White House’s statement also mentioned “forthcoming commercial deals between US and Indonesian companies,” including aircraft procurement valued at $3.2 billion, purchase of agriculture products such as soybeans, wheat and cotton valued at $4.5 billion, as well as a $15 billion purchase of energy products. 

Indonesia is among other Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines, which have negotiated for a better tariff deal with the Trump administration.

Vietnam, which agreed to zero tariffs on American exports and 20 percent on its own goods, had a “better” deal compared to Indonesia, said Bhima Yudhistira, executive director at Jakarta-based think tank Centre of Economic and Law Studies.  

“Vietnam’s tariff reduction from 46 per cent to 20 per cent is more significant than Indonesia’s tariff reduction from 32 per cent to 19 per cent. Vietnam’s negotiations were more effective than Indonesia’s. Ideally, Indonesia could achieve even greater reduction,” Yudhistira told Arab News. 

The tariff deal also posed a “high risk” to Indonesia’s trade balance.  

“The government should push for market access to Europe as a form of market diversification … as well as the intra-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market,” Yudhistira said. 

“It’s better not to depend on exports to the US because the result of these tariff negotiations is still unfavorable to Indonesia.” 


Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities

Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities
Updated 23 July 2025
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Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities

Growing calls for UK govt to help students in Gaza admitted to British universities
  • 40 Palestinian students offered scholarships but cannot travel without biometric data
  • Gaza’s only UK-licensed biometrics center closed in October 2023

LONDON: Government ministers in the UK are facing renewed pressure to help 40 students in Gaza who were offered full scholarships to study at British universities, The Guardian reported.

The students, however, are unable to take their university places set to begin in September because of government bureaucracy.

The UK Home Office on Tuesday reportedly held a high-level meeting on the issue after MPs and campaigners demanded urgent action to help the students.

They demanded that the government take immediate steps to secure the students’ safe passage to Britain, following warnings that some Palestinians students had been killed while waiting for British university spots.

Others are also in constant danger amid Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.

A key hindrance affecting the students is a Home Office requirement to use biometric data for visa applications, campaigners have said.

The only UK-authorized biometrics center in Gaza closed in October 2023 and the students cannot travel to similar centers in neighboring countries.

Campaigners and MPs are calling on the government to issue a biometrics deferral and help the students navigate a safe route to a third country to complete their visa applications and travel onward to Britain.

Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy have already helped evacuate students with university positions in their countries, said Dr. Nora Parr, a Birmingham University researcher campaigning for the students.

“The students who studied, took TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) tests, wrote admissions essays and did virtual campus interviews under the most horrendous conditions imaginable — many from tent homes and makeshift Wi-Fi hubs — now must wait for a government decision,” she added.

“To not act is to decide to leave them without these hard-earned educational opportunities.”

Any response is also likely to be shaped by a government immigration white paper released earlier this year that signaled an intention to reduce international student numbers at British universities, Parr said.

“This, combined with the government’s tough stance on immigration, and absence of direct support for Palestine, has left these students in the most dire limbo.”

Among the campaigning group is the University and College Union, which represents 125,000 education workers.

Its general secretary, Jo Grady, urged the home secretary in a letter to “expedite the process” of evacuating the Palestinian students and ensuring “all these young Palestinians make it to our seminar rooms and lecture halls for the start of the academic year.”

The Palestinians students have secured spots at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Edinburgh and University College London.

They are enrolled in subjects including dental public health, data science and genomic medicine.

One student, Soha, a 31-year-old, is hoping to complete a doctorate in nursing and health research at the University of Ulster.

“As a midwife living and working in Gaza, I have witnessed the unimaginable: mothers giving birth under fire, newborns taking their first breath in shelters, and health professionals struggling to provide care with little more than courage and commitment.”

She told The Guardian: “We need them (the British government) to be faster making the decisions that we are waiting for.

“Give us the biometric waiver that we want and facilitate our safe passage. We are running out of time. I carry with me the hopes of countless women and colleagues back in Gaza. When I return, I plan to lead maternal health research in Palestine.”

A government spokesperson told The Guardian: “We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support.”