February 20, 2026 | 08:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has stated that Indonesia will begin sending "advance" troops to the Gaza Strip in the next couple of months. These troops are part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) set to be stationed in the Palestinian enclave.
Indonesia is readying up to 8,000 soldiers to be shipped out to Gaza, preceded by the first batch of soldiers, or what Prabowo deems the "advance groups."
Speaking after the Board of Peace inaugural summit in Washington D.C. on Thursday, February 19, Prabowo claimed the situation in the Gaza Strip has improved. The Palestinian territory, which borders Egypt and Israel, had been wrecked by Israel's genocidal onslaught since October 2023.
According to Prabowo, the situation in the Gaza Strip has improved compared to the past few years. "I think [Gaza] has seen the highest flow of food and humanitarian aid in recent years. So, food is sufficient, and other essential needs are flowing rapidly," Prabowo claimed, after the summit.
Prabowo previously commended the ceasefire between the Israeli forces and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, stating that it has achieved tangible progress.
"The achievement of the ceasefire is real, we commend this," he said during his speech at the Board of Peace summit.
According to Prabowo, Indonesia agrees to send troops to Gaza to maintain a conducive situation and to strive for peace. "Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to contribute a significant number of troops, up to 8,000, or more, if necessary," said the Gerindra Party chair.
Indonesia has accepted the United States' offer to sit in as Deputy Commander of ISF. This information was conveyed by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, who was appointed by President Donald Trump as the Commander of ISF, during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C.
Jeffers explained that ISF personnel are tasked with ensuring stabilization in Gaza. The forces are planned to be stationed in five different sectors in the Gaza Strip, namely Rafah, Khan Yunis, Deir el-Balah, Gaza City, and Northern Gaza. Each sector, Jeffers said, will receive one ISF brigade.
"In the short term, we plan to deploy to the Rafah sector first, in addition to the training of police," Jeffers said, as quoted from the live broadcast at the White House.
Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: Prabowo Praises Gaza Ceasefire as 'Real Achievement'
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