Indonesia Denies Agreement to Relocate Gaza Residents for Construction Work
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JAKARTA, investortrust.id — Indonesia's government has denied reports that it is involved in a plan to relocate residents of Gaza to Indonesia for employment, stressing that no such agreement or discussion has taken place with any party, including Israel.
This clarification was issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in response to a series of foreign media reports suggesting a relocation initiative.
“The Indonesian government has never engaged in any discussion with any party, nor has it received any information regarding a plan to relocate Gaza residents to Indonesia, as has been suggested by several international media outlets,” said Rolliansyah, also known as Roy, as quoted by national news agency Antara.
Roy emphasized that Indonesia is currently focusing its diplomatic efforts on advancing a second-phase ceasefire, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, and pushing for immediate reconstruction efforts in the war-torn territory.
The statement was made in response to media reports claiming that approximately 100 Gaza residents would travel to Indonesia to work in the construction sector as part of a pilot voluntary migration program.
According to those reports, the initiative is being overseen by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, an Israeli military body responsible for coordinating civil and humanitarian policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The reports further alleged that if the pilot project proves successful, its administration would be transferred to Israel’s newly established Migration Affairs Office, formed by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. The program, it claimed, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of voluntary migration and could pave the way for thousands of Gaza residents to take up construction jobs in Indonesia.
Although international law allows participants to return to Gaza after their work assignments end, the reports suggested that the broader intention is to facilitate long-term migration in coordination with Indonesia.