Indonesia Prepares Gradual Deployment of Troops for Gaza Peace Mission
- 12 Mar 2026 19:36 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is preparing to send military personnel to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin confirming that the deployment will take place in stages.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Defense on Thursday, March 12, 2026, Minister Sjafrie emphasized that the scale of the mission requires a phased approach.
Initially, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) had readied 20,000 troops for the mission. However, after further consideration and in light of the smaller contributions from other countries, the number was adjusted to 8,000.
“Yes, it will be gradual because the numbers are large. We prepared 20,000 but seeing that other countries are only sending a few hundred, we decided on 8,000. The most important thing is that as long as the situation does not conflict with our national interests, we will carry out the mission,” Minister Sjafrie explained, as quoted by Antara.
The timeline for deployment remains uncertain, as Indonesia is awaiting guidance from the Board of Peace (BoP) and monitoring regional geopolitical developments. In the meantime, Minister Sjafrie assured that TNI forces are being kept in operational readiness.
“Our preparedness is part of operational alertness. In the military, we have disaster readiness, tactical readiness, and strategic readiness,” he noted.
While the exact date of deployment has yet to be determined, Indonesia’s commitment to contributing to the Gaza peace mission underscores its role in supporting international stability efforts. ***