Indonesia’s contribution to the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will handle aspects of peacekeeping in Gaza during the Trump administration’s Phase II of the ceasefire, will start deploying in April, and likely primarily deploy in June, AP reported on Sunday.
The same report set the number of soldiers in April at 1,000 and the full June force at around 8,000, which is higher than some prior numbers that the media has speculated about.
According to the report, aspects of the process for selecting and clearing soldiers to join the force are underway.
However, Indonesia also said that if conditions in Gaza were not ripe for deployment regarding any conflict with Hamas, the force might not ultimately travel to Gaza even if it was ready.
Already on February 9, Channel 11 had confirmed that Indonesia would be the first segment of the ISF in Gaza, though at the time the report had suggested the soldiers might arrive within weeks.
In prior months, Indonesia had been mentioned as a possible contributing country to the ISF along with the UAE, Egypt, Italy, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, and others, but until now, not a single country had moved from general promises to a concrete readiness to send troops.
Indonesian President Subianto to visit Washington
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be visiting Washington for Trump’s Board of Peace summit on February 19.
Neither the ISF in general, nor Indonesia in particular, is expected to seek direct confrontation with Hamas or to proactively disarm them.
Rather, they are expected to supervise current ceasefire lines and possibly handle other border-related issues.
For example, Indonesian soldiers are expected to supervise some of the defense lines in the Khan Yunis and Rafah areas of southern Gaza.
The coming months will still require resolving complex issues, such as the rules of engagement, should Hamas make contact with the Indonesian chapter of the ISF.
Moreover, there are questions about which countries will follow Indonesia’s example, and when.
Finally, if Hamas has not started a serious disarmament process by early May – around the Trump administration’s 100-day deadline – it is unclear whether the ISF would continue or whether Israel might return to major ground operations in Gaza.