Indonesia’s military said it expects up to 8,000 troops to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission, its first firm commitment tied to a key part of President Donald Trump’s postwar reconstruction plan. Brig. Gen. Donny Pramono, speaking for the Indonesian National Armed Forces, said the military has completed planning for the troop composition and a timeline for movement to Gaza even though the government has not yet decided when, if at all, the deployment would take place.
Pramono said the army prepared a composite brigade of 8,000 personnel based on decisions made during a Feb. 12 meeting for the mission. He told The Associated Press that the forces are ready in principle to be assigned anywhere and that they could be dispatched at short notice once Jakarta issues formal approval.
He outlined a readiness schedule that begins with health checks and paperwork throughout February. Under the plan, Pramono said the forces would undergo a force readiness review at the end of the month, followed by staged readiness for deployment.
Pramono said that about 1,000 personnel are expected to be ready by April as an advance team, while the rest would be prepared by June. He emphasized that the readiness milestones do not automatically mean the troops would depart, saying the deployment still depends on political decisions and on international mechanisms.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry has said any Indonesian role in Gaza would be strictly humanitarian. Officials have described Indonesia’s contribution as focusing on civilian protection and medical services, along with reconstruction activities, and said its troops would not take part in combat operations or actions that could bring them into direct confrontation with armed groups.
Pramono also said Indonesia would be the first country to formally commit troops to the security mission created under Trump’s Board of Peace initiative for Gaza. The announcement comes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has held since Oct. 10, after two years of war that devastated the territory.
Indonesia, a Muslim-majority nation and the world’s most populous of that type, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. The country has long supported a two-state solution and has been deeply involved in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including funding a hospital.
Indonesia’s officials have justified participation in the Board of Peace by describing it as a way to defend Palestinian interests from within the effort, arguing that Israel sits on the board while there is no Palestinian representation. The country also has prior experience in peacekeeping operations, including as one of the top contributors to United Nations missions, with deployments that include Lebanon.