Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks during a planned peacekeeping operation in the war-torn enclave of Gaza, the defense minister said on Friday.
The world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia is among the countries with which the United States has discussed plans for an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, which include Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar.
Last week, Reuters reported a draft readied by Washington for such a force that would authorize it to “use all necessary measures” to demilitarize Gaza, secure its borders, protect civilians and aid delivery, and support a newly trained Palestinian police force.
Indonesia said there was no decision yet on when troops will be deployed and what mandate they will have, underscoring the uncertainty over establishing an international presence in Gaza.
“We’ve prepared a maximum of 20,000 troops, but the specifications will revolve around health and construction,” Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters. “We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action.”
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto and Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is making a state visit to Indonesia from Friday, would discuss the initiative of US President Donald Trump, he added.
“We’re waiting for the possibilities of a role Indonesia can take in peace efforts,” said Sjamsoeddin. He did not say when troops would be deployed or how many, but said the decision would be made by Prabowo.
Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin attends the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 31, 2025. (Vincent Thian / POOL / AFP)
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers will discuss next week a proposal for the bloc to take the lead in training 3,000 Palestinian police officers with the aim of later deploying them in Gaza, according to a document seen by Reuters on Friday.
In a paper produced by the bloc’s diplomatic arm ahead of the gathering of ministers on November 20, officials outlined options for contributing to the implementation of Trump’s peace plan,
In the document, the European External Action Service outlined proposals to expand the bloc’s two civilian missions in the region, which focus on border assistance and supporting the Palestinian Authority’s policing and justice reforms.
The EU’s police support mission could “take leadership in training the Palestinian police force in Gaza by providing direct training and support to approximately 3,000 Palestinian police officers (on the PA pay-roll) from Gaza, with a view to training the full 13,000 Palestinian police force,” it said.
The paper also raises the idea of expanding the EU’s civilian border monitoring mission in Rafah to other border crossing points.
Under Trump’s comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan, which he first presented in September, the ISF is supposed to take control of Gaza as Israel withdraws further in the Strip. The plan has been included in its entirety in a draft UN Security Council resolution that the US is advancing.
Israel currently controls about half the enclave following an initial October 10 withdrawal as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas that was reached the day before. The terror group has been reasserting control on its part of the ceasefire line.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said this month that his country would require a UN Security Council resolution enshrining the ISF to participate in the force.
Prabowo told the UN General Assembly in September that, if there were a UN resolution, his country would be prepared to deploy at least 20,000 troops in Gaza to help secure peace.
Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subianto puts his hands together as he finishes his address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly with the word ‘shalom,’ September 23, 2025, at UN headquarters in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
That speech made waves in Israel after Prabowo, whose country has no diplomatic ties with Israel, stressed the need to guarantee Israel’s safety and security, and signed off with the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.”
Prabowo was also widely reported to be planning an unprecedented visit to Israel following his participation at the world leaders’ Sharm El Sheikh Peace Conference on Gaza on October 13 — three days into the ceasefire in the Strip, when Hamas released the last 20 living hostages abducted when the terror group invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.
However, Indonesia quickly denied the reports that Prabowo would come to Israel. A source familiar with the matter later told The Times of Israel that Prabowo gave an initial green light to interlocutors that he would make the visit, but, concerned about domestic pushback, backed out when it was leaked to the press. According to the source, Jakarta’s denial that such a visit was ever in the works was a bid to save face.
Despite the lack of formal ties, Indonesia has previously coordinated with Israel on airdropping humanitarian aid to Gaza, and was said last year to be considering normalization in order to join the OECD.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel