Keeping quiet 'makes us complicit' in international humanitarian laws violations in Gaza: Ex-president Halimah Yacob

Former Singapore president Halimah Yacob has called Israel's blockade that is stopping humanitarian aid from entering Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe which is getting worse daily".

Taking to Facebook on May 23, she noted that while a "trickle" of aid is allowed to enter Gaza, it is "far below what is needed to stop the ongoing starvation".

She also cited the United Nations (UN) chief's warning that 14,000 babies would die without access to food, "an annihilation of a future generation which has been ongoing as more than 14,000 children have been killed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF)."

She wrote:

"Keeping quiet makes us complicit in the violations of international humanitarian laws and encourages similar aggressions elsewhere. Our world is all the poorer for it.

Uphold humanity."

On May 21, Singapore called for an immediate ceasefire and the full resumption of humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

"Singapore has consistently called for all parties in the conflict to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, and ensure that all civilians are kept out of harm’s way," said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson on May 20.

The spokesperson also stressed the need to give due protection to civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities and workers.

At the same time, Singapore also called for all the remaining hostages held by Hamas to be released immediately.

There are 58 hostages still being held in Gaza, and up to 23 are believed to be alive, according to the BBC.

What did the UN say?

For 11 weeks since March 2025, Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies to Gaza, stating Hamas was seizing the supplies for its fighters, Reuters reported.

On May 20, the UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, told BBC that 14,000 babies in Gaza will die within the next 48 hours if no aid reaches them.

He added that the five trucks of baby food brought into the territory on May 19 were just "a drop in the ocean".

In a subsequent statement to the BBC, the UN human rights commission spokesperson said:

"We are pointing to the imperative of getting supplies in to save an estimated 14,000 babies suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Gaza, as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership has warned about.

We need to get the supplies in as soon as possible, ideally within the next 48 hours."

The Palestinian health minister said on May 22 that 29 children and the elderly had died from starvation-related deaths and thousands more were at risk, Reuters added.

When asked about the UN chief's comment that 14,000 babies could die without aid, the minister replied that the number is "very realistic" and may even be underestimating the scale.

Top photos via UNRWA/Facebook & Halimah Yacob/Facebook