Indonesia to send troops to Gaza under Phase II ceasefire

Indonesia will be the first country to contribute to the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will handle aspects of peacekeeping in Gaza during the Trump administration’s Phase II of the ceasefire, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News reported Monday night.

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.

According to the report, Indonesian troops could be on the ground in Gaza within weeks, shortly after Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visits Washington for US President Donald Trump’s Peace to Prosperity 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 in southern Gaza.

The coming weeks will still require resolving complex issues like rules of engagement should Hamas make contact with the Indonesian chapter of the ISF.

There are also questions about how many Indonesians will join, with expectations of at least thousands.

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.