Indonesia is preparing to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza in support of US president Donald Trump’s peace plan for the conflict-ravaged region, becoming the first country to publicly commit soldiers to the mission.
The nation with the world’s largest Muslim population has begun training troops for possible deployment to Gaza and other conflict zones, Indonesian army chief of staff Maruli Simanjuntak said on Monday.
“It’s still ongoing. We’re waiting for the results of the co-ordination with the co-ordinator in Gaza,” Maruli said of the plans. “Could be one brigade, probably 5,000 to 8,000. But it’s all still being negotiated, not certain. So there’s no certainty on the number until now.”
He did not specify what activities the Indonesian troops would be involved in, but said the training was focused on humanitarian and reconstruction needs.
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The Indonesian troops would be part of Trump’s planned “international stabilisation force”, envisioned as a multinational peacekeeping force. However, the mandate and the composition of the force remain unclear.
According to one person familiar with the matter, the forces are likely to be deployed in Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza, near – but not on – the so-called Yellow Line that still divides the Palestinian enclave from the half of the territory still controlled by Islamist militant group Hamas.
[ Israeli strikes kill five Palestinians in latest undermining of Gaza ceasefireOpens in new window ]
The deployment of the force is deemed critical for Trump’s plan to move to its next stage, which is supposed to ultimately lead to the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip. But the US has struggled to find governments willing to provide troops.
Several US allies, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, have declined to send troops under any circumstances. According to three people familiar with the matter, the second country expected to commit troops is Morocco.
The promise of Indonesian troops for Gaza comes as president Prabowo Subianto aims to raise the southeast Asian country’s international profile and engage in global diplomacy.
Indonesia has also agreed to join the “board of peace” set up and chaired by Trump with a broad aim to mediate conflicts worldwide – a mandate which some fear could rival the United Nations.
Prabowo has been invited to attend a meeting about the board in the US on February 19th, an Indonesian official said this week.
With 2,461 personnel, Indonesia is currently the seventh-largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping forces as of October 2025.
In September last year, Prabowo, a former military general, initially promised up to 20,000 troops to Gaza and other conflict areas.
Indonesia has long advocated for Palestinian statehood and Jakarta does not maintain any diplomatic ties with Israel.
Prabowo has called for an independent Palestine. In a speech last year, he also said “the safety and security of Israel” should be guaranteed, leading some to believe that Jakarta was softening its stance on Israel.
He has also said Indonesia would normalise ties with Israel if there was a two-state solution to the conflict. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
