Indonesia is preparing to send 1,000 troops to Gaza next April
The Indonesian army announced on Monday that 8,000 troops are expected to be ready by the end of June to deploy to the Gaza Strip as part of the state’s stabilization forces on a humanitarian peacekeeping mission.
According to the Indonesian news agency, this statement is in line with US President Donald Trump’s statements that members of his Peace Council have pledged to send thousands of troops to the Palestinian territories.
Indonesian National Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Donnie Bramono said in an interview with The Associated Press that the forces had finalized the proposed structure of the forces and the schedule for their movement to Gaza, although the government has not yet set a date for the deployment.
“In principle, we are ready to deploy anywhere,” Bramono told The Associated Press.
“Our forces are fully ready and can be deployed within a short period once they have official approval from the government,” he added.
Bramono said Jakarta was preparing 1,000 troops for a possible deployment to Gaza by early April, as part of a proposed multinational peacekeeping force.
According to the schedule, the soldiers will undergo medical checks and paperwork throughout the month of February, followed by an assessment of the readiness of the forces at the end of the month.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that any Indonesian role in Gaza will be purely humanitarian.
Indonesia’s support will focus on the protection of civilians, the provision of medical services, and reconstruction, and its forces won’t participate in any combat operations or actions that could lead to direct confrontation with armed groups.
Indonesia will be the first country to formally commit troops to the security mission created by Trump’s peace council initiative for Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has prevailed since October 10 after two years of devastating war.
