Singapore urges all parties to reach ceasefire in Gaza, release hostages

Singapore has urged all parties in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict to reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and immediately release of all hostages unconditionally.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also expressed Singapore's "deep concern" over the Israeli Parliament's recent legislation that bans UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. The law was passed on October 28.

The concern is how it "will hamper or hinder the essential work of UN agencies in providing relief to the people in Gaza and beyond", he said.

"Singapore commends the work of Unicef, UNRWA and the other UN agencies for the essential role they provided and continue to provide for life-saving support in Gaza," he said, ahead of a ceremony that saw local charity Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) handing over SGD700,000 to UN children's agency Unicef.

"We urge all parties to adhere to international law, including that we respect and protect the individual officers of these agencies, some of whom have been casualties," The Straits Times quoted the Minister as saying.

The minister said humanitarian assistance worth SGD700,000 was sent to Gaza, Singapore's fifth tranche. It consists of money from Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation's (RLAF's) ongoing fund-raising campaign, as well as a US$200,000 (SGD265,000) injection from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

In his speech, Dr Balakrishnan also reiterated Singapore's stance conveyed to the Israeli government at the highest level, that its military response has gone too far.

To date, the Singapore government and local non-governmental organisations have delivered approximately SGD18 million worth of donations for Gaza.

In a statement on November 1, the MFA said Singapore remains committed to offering humanitarian support to the affected populations in Gaza, working in close collaboration with international partners such as Unicef and other UN agencies to ensure that these are delivered in a timely manner.

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who also spoke at the ceremony, said the conflict "has weighed heavily on many of our hearts".

He said it has been heart-warming to see Singaporeans of different communities come together to take action to help those affected by the conflict, and cited non-profit group Humanity Matters, which rallied interfaith groups to pack humanitarian supplies for Gaza.

He added that the Racial and Religious Harmony Circles community platform, made up of leaders from different faith, ethnic and community groups, has launched the Harmony-in-Action fund-raising campaign.

The ongoing campaign, which runs till November 30, is in support of RLAF's efforts to provide critical aid to children and families in Gaza.

Dr Balakrishnan also thanked Singapore's partners for facilitating the Republic's humanitarian assistance efforts.

Singapore worked with Egypt and Jordan to disburse the first three tranches of aid.

The fourth tranche comprising 300 tonnes of canned sardines and 1,000 tonnes of rice was delivered to Gaza with the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Cyprus.

There is more to come from Singapore in terms of aid, Dr Balakrishnan said.

"We are exploring other further direct assistance, working with longstanding partners in the region the UAE, Jordan and Egypt so watch this space," he said.

At the ceremony, RLAF chief executive Adnan Abdul Hamid said the foundation's third and current round of fundraising, which began on October 18, has garnered almost SGD1.6 million. Its previous fund-raising efforts raised over SGD10.2 million.

In its third fund-raising round that will run till December 13, the RLAF is collaborating with three ground partners, namely Unicef, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation and Humanity Matters.

"Together, we will ensure the funds are used for delivery of essential relief items such as food, water and medical supplies for children and families in Gaza," the Singapore daily quoted Adnan as saying.

He added that all donations will be channelled through these partners to ensure timely and effective procurement and distribution of the necessary aid.