In the early morning of Nov. 30, a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Multi-Role Tanker Transport took off for Egypt to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The flight took off from Changi Air Base for Egypt, carrying the second tranche of Singaporean aid to support relief efforts.
The aid package was drawn from the contributions of more than S$7 million in cash and in-kind donations from Singaporeans.
Humanitarian aid package
Present at the sending off ceremony for the RSAF crew was Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad , as well as Egyptian Ambassador Designate to Singapore, Ahmed Mostafa Abdelaal Mohamed, and Singapore's representative to the Palestinian Authority, Hawazi Daipi.
Also present were representatives from participating Non-Government Organisations, such as the Singapore Red Cross (SRC).
Singapore's Ambassador to Egypt Dominic Goh will witness the handover of the humanitarian package to the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) when it arrives in Egypt.
The package comprises medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, blankets, sanitation items, water filters, and food from the Ministry of Health, the Singapore Armed Forces, as well as NGOs such as the SRC, Mercy Relief, and Relief Singapore .
The supplies were chosen after MFA engaged with the ERC to determine which supplies were most needed.
This is Singapore's second tranche of aid to the humanitarian effort in Gaza, with the first tranche being handed over by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman when he was on a visit to Cairo earlier in November.
Humanitarian Truce
Vivian said that there was some urgency for the delivery of the humanitarian package, due to the current ongoing truce.
The humanitarian truce, initially planned for four days, was put in place in order to facilitate prisoner exchange, but also to deliver humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.
The situation, Vivian said, was dire and there was an urgent need for the assistance to be delivered as soon as possible.
The assistance of the RSAF enabled the delivery of essential medical and humanitarian assistance quickly in what Vivian described as a “very narrow window”.
Vivian said that the package was an expression of Singaporean support and compassion for the innocent victims of the war.
Vivian also said that he hoped the humanitarian truce will be extended, and at time of reporting the truce had extended from four to seven days, with the last one day extension being announced minutes before expiry, as reported by Reuters.
Vivian expressed his gratitude to the RSAF and all the NGOs, as well as to the "generous donors" in Singapore.
He said that Singaporeans sent these tokens of their support, care, concern, and compassion “to our fellow human beings in Gaza”.
Close collaboration
Zaqy said that Mindef was closely monitoring the situation in Gaza, and is deeply concerned with the humanitarian situation, particularly that of civilians .
He said that the joint mission to provide support and deliver the humanitarian aid package from Singapore to Egypt required the RSAF to work together with the MFA, the Ministry of Health, as well as the various NGOs.
He added that the aid package was a testament to the strong linkages and close collaboration between the NGOs and the Singapore government.
He also thanked the RSAF servicemen and women who were providing support for the mission, wished them success and bid them a safe and secure return to the families and loved ones.
The SRC head of global engagement, Rebekah Lim said she was glad that the SRC was able to deploy water filters, which would be useful in providing clean drinking water for civilians in Gaza.
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Top image via Ministry of Defence