Singapore on Nov. 10 handed over S$2 million in public donations for humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The amount — the first tranche — was raised by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), after it launched a fundraiser on Oct. 19 for humanitarian relief to the Palestinian territory.
On Nov. 2, the non-profit announced its campaign would be extended to Nov. 17, and that it had collected over S$4.6 million.
Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman was in Cairo, Egypt to witness the handover to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Humanitarian aid going into Gaza has to go through Egypt's Rafah border crossing, the only entry point so far.
2 tranches of relief supplies
There have been non-monetary donations as well.
The first tranche of US$200,000 worth of relief supplies from the Singapore Red Cross was sent earlier in November.
It was also announced that a second tranche of humanitarian goods worth US$100,000 from the Singapore Red Cross will be handed to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
These include medical supplies, food provisions, drinking water and hygiene kits for people in Gaza.
Authorities said over 11,000 people have been killed as a result of Israeli retaliation, which was in response to an Oct. 7 surprise siege by Hamas that reportedly left 1,200 dead.
Maliki, who is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Education, said: “The deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a tragedy, and there is an urgent need for humanitarian assistance to be extended to the civilians in Gaza."
"I am proud that Singaporeans have stepped up generously to support these needs,” he added, in a statement issued by Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA).
Maliki was briefed separately by Egyptian Red Crescent and UNRWA on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as what was happening at the Rafah crossing.
On Nov. 6, members of parliament unanimously passed a parliamentary motion, which called for advocating the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza residents.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also said in Parliament that Singaporeans had by then donated nearly S$5 million in total to fundraising drives by Singapore Red Cross and RLAF.
Top photos via Singapore Red Cross