Up to 8,000 Indonesian troops could be in the Gaza Strip by the end of June as part of the peacekeeping force stipulated in U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, Jakarta’s military said on Sunday
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Donny Pramono said the Indonesian National Armed Forces, known as TNI, has completed its preparations for a deployment, subject to a final approval by the government and international decisions, the Associated Press reported.
“In principle, we are ready to be assigned anywhere. Our troops are fully prepared and can be dispatched at short notice once the government gives formal approval,” Pramono said.
Pramono further relayed that TNI prepared a brigade of 8,000 personnel, based on decisions made during a Feb. 12 meeting for the mission.
The spokesman added that about 1,000 troops are ready to dispatch as an advance team by April, followed with the rest by June.
Indonesia’s contribution would not involve combating terrorist in the Strip, the country’s foreign ministry has stated in the past. The force would instead focus on civilian protection, medical services and reconstruction efforts.
Avigdor Lieberman, a former defense minister and current leader of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, told JNS on Monday that “no foreign force will dismantle Hamas, and we need to see about the mandate of that Indonesian force that is arriving.
“There has been an international force in Lebanon, there was one on the Syrian borders and in Hebron—never has a foreign international force come to our aid,” Lieberman said, speaking at a faction meeting.
“Therefore, I do not believe that a foreign force can help in the case of the Gaza Strip and Hamas,” the former defense minister concluded.
Israel and Hamas struck a ceasefire on Oct. 10, after two years of war that was sparked by the terrorist group’s invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Israel Defense Forces currently hold more than half of Gaza’s territory, stationed east of the so-called Yellow Line that runs through the Strip. The gradual withdrawal of the Israeli troops depends on the disarmament of Hamas.
An international force, if it were to deploy, is expected to be stationed in the area under IDF control as an interim solution until a Palestinian government takes over Gaza.
