The Indonesian Defence Ministry says troops are likely to focus on health and reconstruction if sent to the enclave.
Indonesia is readying up to 20,000 soldiers in preparation for a planned international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza, its defence minister has said, the makeup and powers of which have been a thorny subject of contention.
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters on Friday that the soldiers were likely to focus on healthcare and construction-related tasks if sent to the Palestinian enclave ravaged by more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war.
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“We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action,” said Sjamsoeddin.
Under United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the ISF would be sent there to ensure a long-term truce.
Sjamsoeddin said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would discuss the Trump initiative with Jordan’s King Abdullah during the monarch’s state visit to the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
He did not detail how many soldiers would be sent or when they would be deployed, but noted that the decision rested with Prabowo.
Much uncertainty still surrounds Trump’s ISF idea, including its makeup and its remit.
Washington has said it has spoken to Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar about contributing to the force.
Israel has already said it will not accept Turkiye, a key Gaza ceasefire mediator, having any role on the ground.
Turkiye has maintained staunch criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza over the past two years and recently issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
Last week, the US mission to the United Nations formally circulated its draft resolution for negotiations.
According to a draft seen by the AFP news agency, it would give a two-year mandate to a transitional governance body in Gaza — known as the Board of Peace — that Trump would chair.
It would also permit member states to form a “temporary” ISF to secure humanitarian aid corridors and the border, and to help with the “permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”. Hamas has not promised to demilitarise, but it is a key tenet of the 20-point plan.
The ISF would also work with Israel, Egypt, and the newly trained Palestinian police to achieve its aims.
The US plan was dealt a blow when Russia presented the UN Security Council with a “counter-proposal”.
A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said on Thursday that any “attempts to sow discord” around Washington’s resolution could have grave repercussions.
Should the October 10 ceasefire break down, it would have “grave, tangible and entirely avoidable consequences” for Palestinians living in Gaza, they added.
Speaking last week, Trump expressed hope that a US-coordinated ISF could be on the ground in Gaza “very soon”.
