Indonesia to Serve as Deputy Commander of the ISF: What is it?
Indonesia has officially agreed to a proposal to become one of the countries supporting the formation of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) by sending troops and also a deputy commander of its forces to Gaza. So, what is the ISF?
In short, the ISF is a force formed to end the long-standing war between Israel and Gaza. The ISF will be stationed on the Gaza border and will have the mandate to maintain peace and security in the region.
Not all countries are sending troops or a deputy commander to fill positions in the ISF. Indonesia is one of the five countries that received the offer.
So, what is the purpose of the ISF and why did Indonesia receive the offer to join? To provide an overview, let’s look at the following information.
Key points:
The International Stabilization Force (ISF) is a multinational force that will be tasked with maintaining security, protecting civilians, and training local forces in Gaza.
At a meeting in Washington, Major General Jasper Jeffers announced five countries that will participate, including Indonesia.
The Indonesian government has expressed its readiness to send thousands of TNI personnel and fill the position of Deputy Commander of Operations as a form of contribution to the stabilization mission.
Background of the ISF Formation in Gaza
The ISF is the International Stabilization Force. As the name suggests, the ISF is formed to maintain and secure the stability of a particular region. In this case, it is Gaza.
Reported by Al Jazeera, the ISF is also referred to as a multinational force because it involves forces from a number of countries in the world. The selected forces will later be assigned to Gaza to help maintain security, protect civilians, and secure the borders of the region.
Not only that, there are certain positions in the ISF that are tasked with helping to train the police there. In general, the ISF is formed to take over the security responsibilities that have been carried out by Hamas.
Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, the ISF is part of the Board of Peace. It should be noted that the Board of Peace is known to President of the United States Donald Trump. In fact, its leadership involves his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The Donald Trump administration has a plan to build a base and military force in Gaza. It is planned that a military base with a capacity of up to 5,000 people will be built in Gaza, involving more than 350 hectares of the area.
Unfortunately, the details of the plan are not yet clear. Including the involvement of the ISF if there is a battle or bombing by Israel. There is also no clarity about the role that the ISF will play if Hamas launches an attack.
Furthermore, Al Jazeera also explained that this Trump administration plan was carried out without input from Palestinian parties. Not only that, some have stated that they will not participate in the plan. These include Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a senior UAE official said that the Middle Eastern countries are unlikely to contribute.
Despite this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his full support for Gaza. Even though he is not contributing to the force initiated by Donald Trump.
Countries Appointed to Send ISF Representatives
As explained earlier, not all countries accepted the offer to join in sending representatives to the ISF. Quoted from the Foundation For Defense of Democracies page, Major General Jasper Jeffers officially announced the countries that will deploy their forces to the ISF in Gaza.
Through a meeting held by the Board of Peace in Washington, DC, USA on Thursday (February 19, 2026), Jeffers announced that there are five countries that have promised to provide support for the US plan and are committed to deploying their best personnel. The five countries in question are:
Indonesia
Morocco
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Albania
Why Indonesia is Included in the List of Countries Sending ISF Representatives
So, why was Indonesia offered to be part of the ISF? Quoted from detikNews, one of the reasons Indonesia received the offer to contribute to the ISF is as a form of respect and appreciation for the Indonesian military. Moreover, Indonesia has a track record in maintaining peace.
This was conveyed by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono, who stated that Indonesia will send at least 8,000 Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel to Gaza. Not only that, there will also be a deputy commander from Indonesia.
The position offered to Indonesia in relation to the ISF is Deputy Commander of Operations. This is because Indonesia is one of the countries that will send the most troops to Gaza.
“This is also a form of respect and appreciation for Indonesia’s track record and the reputation of Indonesian soldiers in various peacekeeping fields. I think this position will also facilitate what we want to achieve by sending troops to the ISF,” said Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono in his statement.
However, the process of sending TNI troops to Gaza is being prepared by Indonesia. In fact, no one has been decided to hold the position of Deputy Commander of Operations in the ISF.
So that was an explanation of Indonesia being appointed as a country to send a deputy commander and ISF troops in Gaza. Hopefully, this answers your question.