Indonesia to Deploy 8,000 Military Personnel to Gaza, Not 20,000

The Indonesian Government has announced a significant reduction in the deployment of peacekeeping troops to the Gaza Strip, Palestine, under the Board of Peace (BoP). Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin stated that the number of TNI personnel being sent to Gaza would no longer be 20,000.

“If we were fully prepared, ideally we would send 20,000. However, it turns out that other countries are sending only several hundred troops. So we will send 8,000 TNI personnel,” said Sjafrie to journalists following a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Donald Marles at the Defence Ministry in Central Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

According to Sjafrie, the deployment of TNI to Gaza remains dependent on the latest situation and conditions permitting such action. “But what is most important is that if the situation does not conflict with national interests, we will proceed with sending TNI to Gaza,” Sjafrie stated.