Indonesia to take deputy commander role in Gaza peacekeeping force: US general
Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously said that the country’s military will be deployed strictly for humanitarian purposes and not combat operations.
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto attends the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Feb 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Chip Somodevilla)
JAKARTA: Indonesia is set to take a deputy commander role in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) as part of the Gaza peace plan after it had accepted an offer by the United States for the position.
Announcing the appointment on Feb 19 at US President Donald Trump’s first Board of Peace meeting, ISF commander major-general Jasper Jeffers said: “I have offered and Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF.”
"With these first steps, we will help bring the security Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace.”
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, who was in Washington for the Board of Peace meeting, said that he would deploy troops to Gaza as part of the ISF within two months.
Prabowo added that an advance team might be sent to Gaza first to map the area and conduct risk analysis, while also reiterating that Indonesia has been entrusted with a leadership role.
"They asked us to be the deputy commander," Prabowo was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara, adding that the government would appoint its best officer for the position.
Earlier, Indonesia said it was ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza in April as part of the ISF, making it the first country to publicly commit troops to such a peacekeeping mission.
Indonesian army chief of staff general Maruli Simanjuntak said on Feb 9 that the brigade will likely mobilise 5,000 to 8,000 troops although the plan was still tentative.
Jeffers said that ISF personnel are tasked with ensuring stability in Gaza, with forces slated to be deployed across five distinct sectors. Each sector will be assigned one ISF brigade.
The five sectors include Rafah, Khan Yunis, Deir el-Balah, Gaza City and Northern Gaza.
"In the short term, we plan to deploy to the Rafah sector first, in addition to the training of police," Jeffers said in a live broadcast from the White House.
The medium-term strategy involves expanding the deployment sector by sector, with a long-term target of 12,000 police personnel and 20,000 ISF troops on the ground, reported news outlet Tempo.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Feb 14 that the country’s military will be deployed strictly for humanitarian purposes and not combat operations. It further warned that Indonesia would “terminate participation if the ISF’s implementation deviates” from the agreed terms.
The ISF will operate under Trump’s Board of Peace, a US-led body authorised by a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted in November 2025. The board is working with the UN to set up the ISF.
The Board of Peace was initially established to ensure that post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza proceeds effectively.
Alongside Indonesia, Jeffers confirmed that Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania have also committed military personnel to the ISF. Meanwhile, Egypt and Jordan have committed to training the local police force.
On Jan 16, Trump appointed Jeffers to head the ISF in Gaza. He was tasked to lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitariation and enable safe delivery of humanitarian aid and construction materials, the White House said in a statement then. according to a White House statement on Jan 16.
Jeffers was involved in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and oversaw the implementation of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal in 2024.
Under Trump’s Board of Peace, a founding executive board comprising several leaders has also been formed, among them former Bulgarian defence minister Nickolay Mladenov.
Mladenov will serve as the High Representative for Gaza and act as the “ground link” between the board and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which is set to succeed the current Hamas administration in Gaza.
At the Board of Peace meeting on Thursday, Trump thanked attending state representatives and highlighted Indonesia and Prabowo for praise.
“President Prabowo of Indonesia, thank you very much. It’s a big country you have, and you do a great job,” Trump was quoted as saying by Tempo.
Trump also said at the meeting that members pledged US$7 billion towards a Gaza relief package. The dollars pledged, while significant, only represents a fraction of the estimated US$70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian Territories, which has been decimated after over two years of war.
