Prabowo clarifies that Indonesia's troops to Gaza are not intended to disarm Hamas

President Prabowo Subianto has clarified that the planned deployment of Indonesian peacekeeping troops to Gaza, currently on hold, is not intended to disarm the Hamas group. “We do not want to be involved in taking weapons or deweaponisation from Hamas. We do not want to participate. What we want is to protect civilians from any attacks,” said President Prabowo in the “President Prabowo Answers” broadcast, quoted in Jakarta on Friday. Prabowo explained that this mission embodies Indonesia’s consistent struggle to defend Palestinian independence, a cause the nation has championed for decades. “I am continuing the Indonesian nation’s struggle from the past. We have always defended Palestinian independence,” stated the President. He stressed that Indonesia is prepared to send troops under the Board of Peace (BoP) framework, provided all parties agree to the involvement. According to the Head of State, approval from Palestinian figures and Muslim-majority countries is essential. These countries include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt. In addition to regional support, Prabowo highlighted the importance of acceptance from the de facto authorities on the ground. “Hamas must accept us. That is what I conveyed. Because we want to be a peacekeeping force,” he said. Under the BoP mechanism, the President explained the rules on national caveats, or national limitations, which are respected. This allows each member country to determine involvement according to its own national principles. Regarding these limitations, Prabowo assured that Indonesia takes a firm stance against engaging in armed confrontation. “We are firm: we do not want to be involved in military actions against Hamas,” he stated. However, the President revealed that the troop deployment plan is currently suspended or on hold. This decision follows the escalation of conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran. The suspension came after the government conducted a series of consultations with various parties regarding the unpropitious geopolitical situation. “After this war broke out, we consulted, but de facto everything is on hold. Yes, I have already announced it,” said the President. Originally, Indonesia planned to send up to 8,000 TNI personnel for the humanitarian stabilisation mission and to join the International Stabilisation Force (ISF). Although internal TNI preparations have been underway, the deployment still awaits an official UN mandate and a permissive security situation.