JOURNAL NEWS — The Indonesian government, through the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), has declared its readiness to deploy troops for a humanitarian and peace mission in Gaza. However, a large-scale military deployment is still pending an official mandate from the United Nations (UN).
The TNI Commander stated that specialized units have been prepared for various scenarios, including engineering personnel for infrastructure recovery, medical teams, and security forces to protect humanitarian aid distribution.
In its initial planning, TNI has prepared four battalions, consisting of a support battalion, a medical battalion, an engineering battalion, and a logistics battalion. Additionally, two hospital ships have been placed on standby to provide medical assistance to Palestinian civilians.
President Prabowo Subianto previously instructed TNI to prepare up to 20,000 personnel in the event Indonesia receives an official mandate for an international peacekeeping mission.
Nevertheless, the deployment of large military units cannot proceed without UN authorization. The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, is currently coordinating to ensure the process follows international procedures.
Meanwhile, TNI has already deployed selected personnel in limited numbers since August to help distribute food aid to Gaza residents. Indonesian military medical teams stationed near the Egyptian border — including in El Arish — continue to provide services to victims of the conflict. More than 90 tons of humanitarian aid have been successfully delivered through aerial operations.
Both the Ministry of Defense and TNI reaffirm Indonesia’s strong commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts in Palestine, while awaiting a formal decision regarding a larger-scale troop deployment.
