Defence Minister States Deployment of 8,000 Indonesian Military Personnel to Gaza to be Carried Out in Phases

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has confirmed that the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) will deploy military personnel in phases to join the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in a peacekeeping mission in Gaza.

“Yes, in phases because the numbers are large,” Sjafrie stated during a press conference at the Defence Ministry office on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

According to Sjafrie, the TNI initially prepared 20,000 troops to join the ISF. However, following several considerations, the TNI ultimately decided to deploy only 8,000 personnel.

“It turns out other countries are only sending hundreds, hundreds. So we are prepared with 8,000. But what is most important is that if the situation does not contradict national interests, we will do the work,” Sjafrie explained.

To date, Sjafrie has been unable to confirm when TNI personnel will be deployed to Gaza. His office is still awaiting steps from the Board of Peace (BoP) and a de-escalation of the geopolitical situation that had previously become tense.

Whilst awaiting the deployment timeline, Sjafrie assured that the TNI will continue preparing its personnel to be ready for deployment at any time.

“Our readiness is also part of operational alert status. Usually, the military has disaster alert status, tactical alert status, and strategic alert status,” Sjafrie explained.