Indonesia positions to supply thousands to proposed Gaza stabilisation force

Indonesia told reporters that a proposed multinational stabilisation force for Gaza could amount to roughly 20,000 troops and that Jakarta estimates it could offer up to 8,000 personnel, as officials prepare contingencies while key details remain unresolved.

Presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi framed the potential force as a multinational enterprise, saying, "The total number is approximately 20,000 (across countries) ... it is not only Indonesia." He added that Indonesian preparations remain conditional: "We are just preparing ourselves in case an agreement is reached and we have to send peacekeeping forces." Prasetyo also said there would be negotiations before Indonesia paid the $1 billion reported to be requested for permanent membership of the Board of Peace, but he did not specify who was seeking the payment.

Operational planning in Jakarta has advanced to unit selection and vetting, yet deployment terms, mandate details and geographic areas of operation have not been agreed. Army chief of staff Gen Maruli Simanjuntak said Indonesia was preparing a brigade-level contribution and quoted planners' current range: "It could be one brigade, maybe 5,000 to 8,000 [personnel]. But everything is still being negotiated, it's not yet certain. So, there's no certainty on the numbers as of now." He added that coordination remains ongoing: "That's still ongoing. We're waiting for the results of the co-ordination in Gaza. We'll see what kind of personnel we need, and we'll prepare them."

Defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirat described the work as preparatory, saying, "Indonesia's plans to contribute to peace and humanitarian support in Gaza are still in the preparation and coordination stages." The ministry has also publicly denied media reports that Indonesian units would be sited in the Rafah or Khan Younis areas, even as other sources have suggested a southern Gaza location has been earmarked for barracks.

Jakarta's stated willingness to commit several thousand troops reflects both President Prabowo Subianto's drive to raise Indonesia's international profile and domestic tensions over involvement in a volatile theatre. Prabowo previously offered a larger contingent at the United Nations, saying Indonesia could send 20,000 soldiers if the mission were UN authorised. He has been invited to Washington for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace; his attendance has not been confirmed.

Internationally, the proposed international stabilisation force has been described as a follow-on to a US-backed Gaza plan that envisages training Palestinian security forces, keeping the peace and assisting with disarmament of militant groups. The UN Security Council voted in favour of authorising an international force last November with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions; legal terms and the details of any UN mandate have not been published.

Practical hurdles remain. Screening of Indonesian personnel began in November and includes checks of soldiers' humanitarian experience, but the scope, timeline and rules of engagement are unresolved. U.S. officials have at times suggested a smaller multinational force - as low as 10,000 troops - underscoring persistent disagreements over size and composition.

If Indonesian peacekeepers enter Gaza, the deployment would be historically significant and politically fraught: the first outside force in Gaza since 1967 and a major test of Jakarta's balancing of international ambitions with domestic opinion and the legal and operational risks of stabilisation in an active conflict zone.