Indonesia is readying 1,000 troops to be deployed in Gaza as early as April as part of the UN-mandated International Stabilization Force, an army spokesperson said on Monday.
A total of 8,000 Indonesian soldiers will be ready for deployment by June, while the final decision will be made by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. "The departure schedule remains entirely subject to the political decisions of the state and applicable international mechanisms," the spokesman said in a text message to news agency Reuters.
Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Maruli Simanjuntak previously estimated that between 5,000 and 8,000 military personnel could be deployed, with final numbers "still being negotiated".
On Saturday, Indonesia's foreign ministry said that its military's participation in Gaza as part of the peace plan devised by US President Donald Trump should not be interpreted as a normalization of political relations with Israel.
"Indonesia consistently rejects all attempts at demographic change or the forced displacement or relocation of the Palestinian people in any form," the ministry said.
The deployment, which has a non-combatant, humanitarian mandate, could only be carried out with the consent of the Palestinian Authority, the ministry said.
"Indonesian troops will not be involved in combat operations or any action leading to direct confrontation with any armed group," the statement said. Indonesian troops would also have no mandate to demilitarize any party, it added.
However the mandate of the stabilization force includes ensuring "the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip" and "the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups". The resolution authorizes the force to "use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate".
$5bn to rebuild Gaza
Indonesia confirmed last week that President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural leaders’ meeting of Trump’s "Board of Peace", whose members have pledged $5bn toward "rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza".
Indonesian foreign ministry said that Prabowo would use the forum on 19 February to advocate for the protection of Palestinians and push for a sustainable peace based on a two-state solution, which envisions the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Prabowo is also expected to sign a tariff agreement with the United States during the trip, the government said. "We are just preparing ourselves in case an agreement is reached and we have to send peacekeeping forces," Prabowo told journalists.
The president also said he will seek to negotiate the board’s reported $1bn membership fee. Indonesia’s foreign ministry said that its troops' participation in Gaza would not be aimed at imposing peace, but would instead focus on humanitarian objectives.
Indonesia is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations globally, with more than 2,700 personnel deployed in missions across Africa and the Middle East.
Indonesia's largest deployment is with the United Nations Interim Force is in Lebanon. Public support for Palestine is strong in Indonesia, where mass demonstrations have taken place against Israel's genocide in Gaza.
On August 3, thousands of Indonesians gathered at Jakarta's National Monument, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards demanding justice for Gaza.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has consistently called for an end to Israeli genocide in Gaza and has pushed for a two-state solution through international forums. Its government has also provided humanitarian aid, medical support and diplomatic backing for Palestinian institutions.
In November, Indonesia's defense minister announced that its military had trained 20,000 troops for healthcare and construction efforts in Gaza. Jakarta has also provided humanitarian aid, including the delivery of 10,000 tonnes of rice in August last year, and has launched a long-term cultivation initiative in Sumatra and Kalimantan to support Palestinian food security.
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