Indonesia sending up to 4,000 noncombat troops to Gaza
Indonesia is preparing to send up to 4,000 noncombat military personnel to provide medical services and help with infrastructure rebuilding as part of a possible US-initiated peacekeeping mission in the Gaza Strip, according to a government source.
The planned deployment comes as US President Donald Trump has invited countries, including Indonesia, to join his controversial “Board of Peace,” a new international body overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza.
Many in Indonesia, including Muslim leaders, diplomats, and lawmakers, had initially opposed President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join the board, saying the entity will only work for the interests of the United States and Israel and not for the independence of Palestine.
The source told a limited number of journalists that Indonesia, before joining the board, signed a declaration with seven Muslim countries stating that “if the board does not work for the interests of the Palestinians, they will quit together.”
Prabowo will attend the board’s first meeting on Feb. 19 in Washington, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.
