Indonesia preparing 8,000 soldiers to join proposed Gaza 'stablization force'

JAKARTA — Indonesia is preparing thousands of troops for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a proposed international post-war security arrangement under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, the country’s military has said.Following a leadership meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, Indonesian army began preparations for a possible deployment of up to 8,000 personnel as part of amultinational “stabilization force” in Gaza, becoming the first country to do so as part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement late last year.Army Chief of Staff Maruli Simanjuntak said the numbers and timeline remain under review pending coordination within the military command structure, according to an official Indonesian military statement released Monday.Officials indicated the force would consist mainly of engineering and medical units, emphasizing humanitarian work and reconstruction rather than combat operations.General Simanjuntak said training for the soldiers had already begun, and they would focus on medical and engineering roles in Gaza.Indonesia has joined President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which was announced last month.The UN Security Council has approved an International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will help secure border areas in Gaza and ensure the territory’s demilitarisation, including the disarmament of Hamas.The board, which is due to have its first meeting in Washington on 19 February, will also oversee a new technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza and post-war reconstruction.The timing of the Indonesian troop deployment and their exact role in Gaza have not yet been finalized.Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that an area in southern Gaza, between Rafah and Khan Younis, had already been designated for use by the Indonesian army to build a barracks for several thousand troops.President Prabowo’s decision to join Trump’s Board of Peace has been criticized in Indonesia, where there has been widespread public anger over the US role in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.However, Prabowo has argued that, as the world’s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia should help stabilize Gaza, and has said that its involvement would be in pursuit of an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Other Muslim countries like Turkey and Pakistan are also considering sending their troops, but have made it clear they would be peacekeepers only, and would not get involved in the planned disarmament of Hamas, which is refusing to lay down its arms while Israel continues to occupy parts of Gaza. — Agencies