Jakarta. The government denied Thursday that it had ever engaged in talks to move Gazans to Indonesia following media reports that the Palestinians would work in the construction sector.

According to a Hebrew media report, as many as 100 Palestinians from Gaza will head to Indonesia to take up construction jobs. The relocation is part of a voluntary migration pilot program overseen by a unit under the Israeli Defense Ministry. The program seeks to see whether it is feasible to have thousands of Gazans become construction workers in Indonesia. This would eventually lead to long-term migration, contingent upon Jakarta's cooperation. If true, the claims would mean a change of heart for Indonesia since Southeast Asia's largest economy had spoken against any displacement attempts. 

Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat swiftly dismissed such claims.

“The Indonesian government has never discussed with anyone or heard any information about Gazans’ relocation plan to Indonesia as reported by several foreign media,” Roy told reporters on Thursday.

"We can confirm that there has been no discussion or agreement between Indonesia and anyone regarding this matter," Roy said.

The diplomat said that Indonesia’s main focus today was on phase two of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, as well as Gaza’s reconstruction efforts.

Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas previously suspended fighting for 42 days, starting on Jan. 19. The fighting halt was part of a three-phase ceasefire deal, with the first round of truce expiring on March 1. Talks for phase two of the ceasefire have not made any substantial progress.

Indonesia was subject to such claims of possibly temporarily accommodating Gazans. Earlier this year, Steve Witkoff, the Middle East envoy for the now-US President Donald Trump, revealed that Washington had floated a plan to relocate some of Gaza’s two million residents temporarily during the post-war reconstruction efforts. Witkoff claimed that Indonesia would be among the possible host countries. Roy said at the time that Indonesia had never heard of such plans.

Palestinian authorities reported that the death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza had surpassed 50,000 since the war erupted in October 2023.

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