6,000 Indonesian Citizens Stranded in Middle East Due to War, Majority Umrah Pilgrims

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has revealed that numerous Indonesian citizens remain stranded across the Middle East, held up due to the numerous flight cancellations resulting from the war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

“If flights aren’t yet available, they are accommodated in lodgings whilst waiting for their flights to resume. So every day we receive daily reports regarding the handling of these stranded WNI,” said Acting Director of Indonesian Citizens Protection at the Foreign Ministry Heni Hamidah at the ministry’s headquarters in Central Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.

She explained that the stranded Indonesians are largely composed of umrah pilgrims. The majority of Indonesian umrah pilgrims currently held are located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“Indeed, those stranded are most heavily concentrated in Jeddah, for umrah pilgrims. And we are facilitating them for repatriation in stages,” she said.

Foreign Ministry data records that more than 6,000 Indonesian citizens are currently stranded across the Middle East as a result of the war that erupted on 28 February.

“So according to our calculations, the number of stranded WNI from the beginning until now stands at more than 6,000. And these individuals are being facilitated for phased repatriation to the country,” she said.

Heni stated that the conducting of this year’s hajj pilgrimage has not yet undergone any changes amid the war occurring in the Middle East. The implementation of hajj remains in accordance with the plans laid out by Saudi Arabia.

“So at present, the conducting of the hajj pilgrimage remains as planned and there is no alternative scenario from Saudi Arabia,” she said.

The Foreign Ministry urged prospective hajj pilgrims to rely on official information from the government. The ministry also urged prospective hajj pilgrims to remain calm.

“The public, particularly prospective hajj pilgrims, are urged to remain calm and refrain from speculation, and to rely on official information from the government which will be conveyed regularly,” she said.