S'pore to deliver 7th tranche of humanitarian aid to Gaza amid ceasefire

Singapore will deliver a seventh tranche of humanitarian aid to Gaza, consisting of food, essential supplies, and medical supplies.

Addressing parliament on Feb. 4, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said he spoke to the Jordanian Foreign Minister to confirm the arrangements.

This was in response to a question by MP Ang Wei Neng on whether Singapore will be providing more humanitarian aid to Gaza in light of the recent ceasefire.

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip was announced on Jan. 15, which was followed by the exchange of hostages and prisoners on both sides.

Singapore has so far delivered six tranches of humanitarian assistance to Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, totalling more than S$19 million in value.

The most recent tranche of humanitarian aid was delivered on Jan. 21.

Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamad Maliki Osman handed over about S$1.3 million collected from the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation's (RLAF) public fundraising campaign.

The seventh tranche of humanitarian aid will be conveyed by the Republic of Singapore Air Force to Jordan in a Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft.

Thank citizens' contributions and Singapore's regional partners in the Middle East

Vivian said Singapore's contributions would not have been possible without the generous support of Singaporeans and the hard work of organisations like RLAF and the Singapore Red Cross.

He also thanked Singapore's regional partners in the Middle East, especially Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Cyprus, for their support in facilitating the delivery of our humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

"We look forward to doing more together, and we hope to be able to provide more help to the civilians in Gaza as they rebuild their homes and their lives."

"No quick and easy solutions" to conflict

MPs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Alex Yam asked how Singapore can contribute to sustaining the ceasefire agreement and promoting regional peace and stability.

In response, the foreign minister said Singapore "needs to be realistic" and "circumspect about the role" that the country can play.

"What we can do from far away is to encourage all the parties to reach an agreement for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to pursue a longer-term solution," said Vivian, though he noted "the complexity and the deep historical entanglements of this conflict in the Middle East".

"There will be no quick and easy solutions," he remarked.

Reiterating Singapore's support for a negotiated two-state solution, he said:

"We hope that the leaders on both sides will find the political will, courage, and imagination to resume direct negotiations, although we know that these will be very difficult in the light of the very painful 16 months that have just passed."

Top image via MDDI/YouTube and UN Palestinian Rights Committee/Facebook