Indonesia Prepares to Deploy About 8,000 Troops to Gaza

Indonesia says it is preparing to deploy up to 8,000 soldiers to Gaza, the first country to do so as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US late last year, the BBC reports. Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak said that training for the soldiers has already begun and that they will focus on medical and engineering roles in Gaza.

Indonesia has joined President Donald Trump’s Peace Council, which was announced last month. It has a mandate from the UN Security Council to establish an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to help secure the border areas in Gaza and demilitarize the territory, including the disarmament of Hamas.

The timing of the deployment of Indonesian troops and their exact role in Gaza have not yet been determined, but it appears President Prabowo Subianto has decided to send them. His decision to join Trump’s Peace Council has been criticized by some Islamic groups in Indonesia, where there is widespread public outrage over the US role in Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

However, Prabowo argued that as the world’s largest Muslim country, Indonesia should help stabilize Gaza, and said its participation would be aimed at achieving a future two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that an area in southern Gaza, between Rafah and Khan Yunis, had already been designated for use by the Indonesian army to build barracks for several thousand troops.

Other Muslim countries, such as Turkey and Pakistan, are also considering sending their troops, but have made it clear that they will only be peacekeepers and will not participate in the planned disarmament of Hamas. But with Hamas refusing to lay down its arms and Israel continuing to occupy parts of Gaza, the conditions for a genuine peace for such a peacekeeping mission do not currently exist.

The Peace Council, chaired by Donald Trump, is scheduled to hold its first meeting in Washington on Liutyi 19. The meeting is also expected to discuss the creation of a new technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza and post-war reconstruction.

Ahead of the Peace Council meeting, President Trump plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next Wednesday. Before leaving for Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister said:

“I am now heading to the United States on my seventh trip to meet with President Trump after his re-election…

During this trip, we will discuss several issues: Gaza and the region, but first and foremost, the negotiations with Iran.

I will present to the President our perception of the principles in the negotiations — principles that are important and, in my opinion, important not only for Israel but for everyone in the world who seeks peace and security in the Middle East.”