Indonesia ready deploy up to 8,000 troops to Gaza under Trump’s plan

• Major Troop Commitment: Indonesia has pledged between 5,000 and 8,000 personnel, the first nation to specify numbers, for a stabilization force in the Gaza Strip.
• The deployment is part of President Prabowo Subianto's collaboration with US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," with preparations already underway for a military barracks to be located between Rafah and Khan Younis.

Indonesia announced preparations to send between 5,000 and 8,000 troops to Gaza as part of an international stabilization force (ISF) outlined in the second phase of a ceasefire agreement facilitated by the United States.

Indonesia became the first nation to specify troop numbers for the mission.

The deployment, pending final negotiations, would operate under a United Nations Security Council mandate and focus primarily on non-combat roles such as medical aid and engineering support.

The initiative stems from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's decision to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, established to oversee Gaza's reconstruction and the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government.

Announced in January, the board's inaugural meeting is scheduled for February 19 in Washington, D.C., where details of the ISF's mandate will be further discussed.

Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak confirmed that training for the contingent has already commenced, emphasizing the troops' role in humanitarian and infrastructural tasks rather than direct enforcement actions.

Hebrew media reports indicate that a site in southern Gaza, between Rafah and Khan Younis, has been designated for an Indonesian military barracks to house several thousand personnel.

The number of ISF troops could total approximately 20,000 troops from multiple nations.

Countries such as Turkey and Pakistan have expressed interest in contributing peacekeepers but have explicitly ruled out involvement in disarming Hamas.

President Subianto, who has positioned Indonesia—the world's largest Muslim-majority nation—as a key player in pursuing a two-state solution, stated that the deployment would help stabilize Gaza.

Hamas has rejected calls to disarm as long as ‘Israeli’ forces maintain control over parts of Gaza, posing a significant challenge to the ISF's implementation.