Jakarta: Indonesia on Monday denied reports that President Prabowo Subianto will visit Israel after completing his trip to Egypt. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry 'firmly' stated that Prabowo will not visit Israel, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

According to Anadolu Agency, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang responded to journalists' questions on whether Prabowo was planning to visit Israel with a clear statement: 'Not true.' Earlier reports from The Times of Israel and Ynet news outlet suggested that preparations were underway for Prabowo's visit, potentially marking the first visit by any Indonesian president to Israel.

Prabowo is currently in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Egypt is hosting an international peace summit on the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza. The summit is co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, who is accompanying Prabowo, also denied the claims of a possible visit to Israel.

Sugiono stated, "It's not true. As per the initial plan, the President will return to the homeland after the event in Egypt is completed," according to a written statement shared with Indonesia news outlet Tempo.

On the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, Prabowo has expressed his commitment to deploy 20,000 Indonesian forces as potential peacekeeping troops in the Gaza Strip. Before departing for Egypt, Prabowo directed the Indonesian Armed Forces to prepare peacekeeping troops, contingent on the outcomes of the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt and approval from the UN Security Council, as reported by Antara.