Indonesia Halts Gaza Peacekeeping Plan Amid Escalation, Reaffirms Civilian Protection Mandate

Jakarta, The Gul Observer: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has clarified that the country’s proposed peacekeeping mission to Gaza, currently on hold, is strictly humanitarian in nature and does not involve efforts to disarm Hamas.

Speaking in the “Presiden Prabowo Menjawab” broadcast, the president emphasized that Indonesia’s intention is solely to protect civilians. “We do not want to be involved in deweaponizing Hamas. We only plan to protect civilians from any attack,” he stated.

Prabowo noted that the initiative reflects Indonesia’s longstanding commitment to supporting Palestinian independence and peace. He reiterated the country’s readiness to deploy troops under the framework of the Board of Peace (BoP), contingent upon the approval of all relevant stakeholders.

He underscored that consent from Palestinian leadership and key Muslim-majority nations—including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Türkiye, Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt—is essential. Additionally, acceptance from parties on the ground, including Hamas, is a critical prerequisite for deployment.

“Hamas must accept us, because we want to be a peacekeeping force,” he said, adding that Indonesia would operate within clearly defined national principles under the BoP mechanism, which allows participating countries to determine their level of involvement through “national caveats.”

The president reaffirmed Indonesia’s firm stance against engaging in armed confrontation. “We are firm in not wanting to be involved in military action against Hamas,” he stressed.

However, Prabowo confirmed that the planned deployment has been temporarily suspended due to the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The decision followed extensive consultations with various stakeholders amid growing regional instability.

“In such a war, we did consult, but in de facto everything is on hold,” he said.

Indonesia had initially planned to deploy up to 8,000 military personnel as part of a humanitarian stabilization mission under the International Stabilization Force (ISF). While internal preparations are ongoing, the deployment remains dependent on a formal United Nations mandate and improvements in the security situation.