"Stand on the side of humanity", instead of being "indifferent to the pain and suffering of a people", urged former president Halimah Yacob in a Facebook post on Dec. 12.

Halimah was sharing her thoughts on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, and highlighted the worsening death toll of, estimated at over 17,000, including women and children, in Gaza over the past two months.

Following the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, the latter retaliated with an aerial and ground assault on the Gaza Strip, and announced a "complete siege", cutting off fuel, electricity, and water supplies to the area.

Two months into the conflict, 17,177 Palestinian deaths have been cited by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry as a result of Israeli military action, according to Reuters reports.

"Safe zones", humanitarian response inadequate

"Are our hearts so hardened that we chose not to be moved by pictures of babies being killed, children crying for their dead parents and two million people fleeing for their lives with nowhere safe to go?" Halimah wrote.

Halimah also criticised the adequacy of the declared "safe zones" for Palestinian civilians, as well as the humanitarian access to Gaza.

Israel has instructed Palestinian civilians to seek refuge in Al-Mawasi, an area of roughly 20 square kilometres of undeveloped land in southwest Gaza, and has drawn up "humanitarian zones" for civilians there, BBC reported.

Nevertheless, Halimah said that these safe zones were "so small that it’s no bigger than London’s Heathrow airport with no infrastructure, water, electricity and other basic amenities for survival".

She added that international organisations like the UN and Red Cross have criticised the space as "unliveable" and that humanitarian aid was blocked from reaching the area, causing more deaths "through starvation, disease and untreated injuries".

According to AP News, evacuees in the area live in squalid conditions with makeshift tents, no running water or bathrooms, and no shipments of aid arriving.

Diseases including lice, chicken pox and intestinal infections have also become widespread among children, according to a refugee the BBC spoke to.

Laws protecting safety of civilians "must count for something"

Halimah also questioned why international laws regarding the safety of civilians could be "broken with impunity".

She said that Israel repeatedly violated international laws that prohibit "collective punishment of innocent civilians" in the exercise of its right to self-defence, a position held by the United Nations as well.

This echoed her previous comments from an Oct. 30 Facebook post.

Halimah added that "these laws must count for something", and suggested that if they do not stop the violence, the world should be fearful of "the rule of the mighty over the weak".

"Stand on the side of humanity"

Halimah also shared her thoughts on the cycle of violence that can be created through such conflicts, saying that humans are "doomed to repeat the same mistakes".

She said that "humans have memories" and that a traumatised young person would "remember these moments when their families are killed, homes destroyed and all hopes erased".

She also urged readers not to be "indifferent to the pain and suffering of a people".

"Stand on the side of humanity. What stories will we tell our young even though we are living in peace now? How do we explain what’s happening when they see so much death and destruction and they wonder why? Do we tell them that humanity failed?"

Singapore's stance

Singapore supports the right of the Palestinian people to a homeland, and Israel's right to exist as a state within safe and secure boundaries.

A negotiated two-state solution is the only viable solution for a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the conflict.

While Singapore condemns the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, and supports Israel's right to defend itself, "Israel must comply fully with the letter and spirit of international humanitarian law, and the rules governing the conduct of war."

This was laid out by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in a parliamentary speech on Nov. 6. He added:

"Under the Geneva Conventions, it must respond in a proportionate manner, and do its utmost to protect the security and safety of civilians.

In other words, no matter how gruesome the acts of terrorism committed by Hamas, they cannot justify a disproportionate response by Israel that imposes collective punishment on the Palestinians in Gaza."

Singapore has voted in the UN in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire twice, once on Oct. 27, 2023 and again on Dec. 12, 2023.

Top image from Halimah Yacob/Facebook.