Indonesia readies 1,000 troops for potential peacekeeping force in Gaza in early April

JAKARTA – Indonesia is readying 1,000 troops for potential deployment in Gaza by early April as

part of a proposed multinational peacekeeping force

, its army spokesman said on Feb 16.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will decide the final deployment, spokesman Donny Pramono said, adding that a total of 8,000 soldiers will be ready for deployment by June.

“The departure schedule remains entirely subject to the political decisions of the state and applicable international mechanisms,” he said in a text message to Reuters.

The comments were made as Mr Prabowo prepares to head to Washington for the

first official meeting this week of the Board of Peace

, chaired by US President Donald Trump.

A UN Security Council resolution

endorsed the board’s creation as part of the Trump administration’s plan to end the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry on Feb 14 said its military’s participation in the UN-mandated International Stabilisation Force in Gaza should not be interpreted as a normalisation of political relations with any party.

Jakarta does not recognise or share any diplomatic relations with Israel.

“Indonesia consistently rejects all attempts at demographic change or the forced displacement or relocation of the Palestinian people in any form,” the ministry said.

The deployment, which has a non-combatant, humanitarian mandate, could be carried out only with the consent of the Palestinian Authority, the ministry said. Indonesian troops would also have no mandate to demilitarise any party, it added. REUTERS