Indonesia Ready to Send 8,000 Troops to Gaza, Communications Minister Says Nearly 50% of Board of Peace Target
Minister of Communications and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid has said Indonesia is committed to sending 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza, Palestine, through the Board of Peace (BoP) forum. Meutya stated that this figure represents nearly half of the total troop target required.
“The American President (Donald Trump) then expressed his appreciation and said that the Indonesian President (Prabowo Subianto) is strong, in the context that he also conveyed there is already a commitment to send troops to help with peace in Palestine — 8,000 soldiers, which is no small number,” Meutya said during the Blak-blakan programme on detikcom on Monday (23/2/2026).
She said the initial troop target under the BoP scheme is 20,000 personnel, whilst Indonesia has committed to sending 8,000.
“The BoP target for troops is 20,000, and if we contribute 8,000, we’ve already reached nearly 50 per cent. That is a role for Indonesia which I believe is extraordinary — at the forefront, with all its risks,” she said.
Meutya explained that during the inaugural BoP meeting, the division of roles between nations had already begun to take shape. Some countries are contributing through funding, others are sending soldiers, and some are assisting in other sectors such as reconstruction.
“We have never before been able to have 8,000 of our troops conducting humanitarian activities in Palestine. It’s a breakthrough; it would be a new history,” she said.
Meutya further addressed the issue of a USD 1 billion financial contribution. She stated that to date, Indonesia has no obligation to make any payment.
“When he (Donald Trump) mentioned which countries are helping and which have committed USD 1 billion, Indonesia was not named in that context. He mentioned Indonesia in relation to the 8,000 troops,” she explained.
“I have not yet communicated directly with the team on the ground, but I believe this is still ongoing — it does not mean we have already paid. Even if we do participate, there is no obligation. Even if we contribute, it would be based on the understanding that the funds would be used for reconstruction in Palestine,” she added.
She assured that if Indonesia does contribute financially, the funds would be focused on infrastructure development and reconstruction. Furthermore, the government guarantees that such assistance would not disrupt priority domestic programmes.
“As long as we can control and ensure that it is indeed for reconstruction in Palestine, I believe this is not something that needs to be debated, because our spirit has always been to help Palestine,” she said.