Indonesia could send as many as 8,000 soldiers to a potential peacekeeping mission in the Gaza Strip, Indonesian Army Chief Maruli Simanjuntak told journalists on Tuesday.
Ahead of the first meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in the United States, Maruli confirmed that the country had begun preparing personnel, primarily engineers and medics, for a possible peacekeeping mission there.
Between 5,000 and 8,000 soldiers could be deployed, he told reporters, adding that a final decision has not yet been made.
"Everything is still being negotiated and nothing is certain yet," the general said. "At this point in time, there is no confirmed number."
The start of the mission depends on the outcome of further negotiations on the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, he said. Decisions on the timing, location and mandate of the mission will be made by higher authorities.
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinian statehood and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
It has repeatedly stated that it will only send troops to Gaza as part of an international peace mission and with the consent of the parties involved.
According to Trump's plan, the Board of Peace is to establish an international stabilization force (ISF) to maintain order in the Gaza Strip. However, its exact composition has not yet been determined.
Several predominantly Muslim countries, including Indonesia and Pakistan, have already signalled their willingness to provide soldiers. Germany does not intend to participate militarily in the ISF.
The Israeli Kan radio station reported on preparations in the south of the Gaza Strip to accommodate thousands of Indonesian soldiers.
An area between Rafah and Khan Younis is already being prepared, where housing for the troops is to be set up within a few weeks.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is also expected in Washington when the Board of Peacel meets there for the first time on February 19, according to media reports.
However, it remains unclear what tasks the ISF is to take on. The Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas continues to reject the disarmament demanded in the peace plan.
The plan calls for the Israeli army to withdraw further from Gaza and gradually hand over the areas it has held so far to the ISF. There is no concrete timetable for any of these points as yet.
The differences between the warring parties remain enormous. The ceasefire in the Gaza war has faltered several times in the first phase of implementation, and most recently there were numerous fatal incidents in the largely destroyed coastal strip.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono said last week Indonesia could reconsider its membership in the Board of Peace if the forum no longer aligns with Jakarta's objectives regarding Palestine.
Sugiono said Indonesia joined the Board of Peace to advance the goal of Palestinian independence and remains committed to that objective.
"If it does not correspond with what we want – first, peace in Gaza specifically, then peace in Palestine more broadly, and ultimately Palestinian independence and sovereignty – then that is the trajectory we want to achieve," he said.
