The Indonesian government is working on plans to treat 2,000 people from war-ravaged Gaza, holding a series of inter-ministerial discussions to discuss logistics, legality and foreign policy implications relating to the highly sensitive proposal, according to a senior government official.

Indonesia announced earlier this month that it would provide temporary medical assistance to 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza, with the uninhabited island of Galang identified as one possible site. Located just south of Singapore, the island was once home to a former camp for Vietnamese refugees and most recently the site of a pandemic hospital.

In Muslim-majority Indonesia, a nation that has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, and has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinian statehood, government officials have been reluctant to provide any details, saying it is just one option being considered.

But reflecting a level of seriousness about the proposal, various ministries, including the coordinating security ministry and the ministries of health and foreign affairs have met to discuss how it would be implemented, said Dave Lakono, deputy chair of the parliament’s commission I, which oversees defence and foreign affairs.

“These discussions have focused on logistical feasibility, medical readiness, and legal frameworks,” Laksono told the Guardian, “Commission I has also been briefed on the strategic implications, particularly regarding Indonesia’s foreign policy posture and regional stability.”

Plans at this stage remain “exploratory”, he said, with Galang island identified as one site due its historical use for humanitarian purposes and existing infrastructure.

Other sites, including facilities in West Java and Central Java that have proximity to major hospitals and logistical hubs are also being considered, he said.

The Indonesian government appears to be considering several possibilities, with the use of large military hospitals in Jakarta, and also a site in Jordan, a country with which Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subinatio has particularly strong relations, also raised during ministerial discussions, according to one senior official with direct knowledge of the talks.

Officials acknowledge the plan will be politically delicate, with some national Islamic leaders accusing the government of being “deceived” by Israel, and questioning what guarantees would be in place to ensure their return.

“One of the issues is how to make sure the right to return of the Palestinians can be respected because we know that many are worried that this kind of policy can be interpreted in other ways,” said Abdul Kadir Jailani, the director general for Asian, Pacific and African affairs at Indonesia’s ministry of foreign affairs, stressing that no final decision had been made on Galang.

“So we have to make sure it will be consistent with the principle of international humanitarian law, and in particular how to respect the right to return of the Palestinians.”

“One of the most important things is that we are not going to do that without approval and support from relevant stakeholders, in particular Palestinian authorities and countries in the region,” he added, “The implementation of this plan has a high level of complexity, particularly in terms of its political and technical aspects.”

Indonesia was able to conduct its second humanitarian airdrop on Gaza in two days this week, a move Jailani said was facilitated with support and coordination from neighbouring Jordan.

Axios reported this July that Israel’s spy agency The Mossad had visited Washington to seek US support in convincing countries to take hundreds of thousand of Palestinians from Gaza, with Indonesia among several countries reportedly receptive to the idea.

Any permanent relocation would be hugely controversial in Indonesia, but so far, criticism of the Gaza plan has been relatively muted in the south-east Asian country.

“At the moment there are so many issues in the headlines so the Gaza issue to be honest is not that widely reported in the media,” said political analyst Kennedy Muslim. “It’s not a major issue in Indonesia at the moment.”

Parliament member Laksono stressed that any measures to accept Palestinians from Gaza would be temporary, with coordination with agencies such as Unrwa and ICRC to establish clear documentation, medical records, and repatriation protocols.

“Our objective is to provide care, not resettlement, and to support their eventual return once conditions in Gaza allow,” he said.

“This is a delicate undertaking, and we are fully aware of the geopolitical sensitivities involved.”