SINGAPORE - The Israel-Hamas conflict and Singapore’s cost-of-living pressures will be on Parliament’s agenda as the House sits next week, with MPs filing two separate motions on the issues.

Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC), Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC) have proposed a debate on the war in the Middle East, which began on Oct 7 when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took hundreds more hostage.

Israel has since declared a “state of war” and launched strikes on Gaza, killing at least 9,000 so far, including more than 3,000 children.

Describing the situation as “grave”, Mr Nair, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said in a Facebook post on Oct 24: “My parliamentary colleagues and I have received e-mails and messages from many who are concerned about the situation.”

This was reflected in the 34 questions filed by MPs on the matter, with many asking how Singapore can help alleviate the humanitarian crisis as the scale of destruction grows.

Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) and Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang) are keen to find out how diplomacy can reduce the loss of civilian lives on both sides, while Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio GRC) wants to know what is being done to ensure that humanitarian aid provided by Singapore can reach affected civilians.

Others worried about the war’s impact on domestic cohesion. Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade GRC) will ask about measures to reinforce religious harmony and encourage interfaith dialogue within Singapore, while Nominated MP Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant wants to know if schools have had to deal with students “taking opposing sides” in the conflict.

Mr Nair’s motion, titled “Solidarity, security and peace: The Israel-Hamas conflict”, calls on the House to reiterate Singapore’s longstanding commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, and urges all Singaporeans to safeguard and uphold the country’s multiracial and multi-religious peace and harmony.

Among other things, the motion also seeks to condemn those responsible for terrorist acts and violations of international law, and calls for all parties to ensure the safety and security of civilians, including the release of all hostages.

The Straits Times has contacted Mr Nair for comments on the motion.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) and Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) have filed a motion on the rising cost of living, due to be debated on Tuesday.

The motion by the Workers’ Party (WP) MPs calls on the Government to “review its policies so as to lower cost-of-living pressures on Singaporeans and their families”.

In a statement on Friday, the WP, which has eight MPs in Parliament, said that since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and amid the war in Ukraine, Singaporeans have been hit by inflationary pressures as the country, along with the world, adjusts to new realities.

The party added that during its activities, many Singaporeans had expressed concerns about “the concurrent price increases for food, water, housing, and both public and private transport”, among other things.

The planned increase in goods and services tax to 9 per cent in 2024 could further add to the cost pressures faced by Singaporeans, said the WP, describing the situation as a “crisis”.

“We will debate robustly with the Government on the measures we believe it can take to alleviate the current cost-of-living crisis,” added the WP.

MPs have also filed 11 questions on transport issues to be answered during question time on Monday. These are mostly to do with certificate of entitlement (COE) prices, which have been hitting new highs month after month.

The COE premium for the Open category closed at $152,000 at the tender exercise in early October, while the premium for larger cars with engines above 1,600cc and 130bhp, or more powerful electric vehicles above 110 kilowatts, climbed to $146,002, and that for smaller cars ended at $104,000.

On Friday, the Land Transport Authority announced an injection of 1,614 certificates to the pool of COEs for cars and commercial vehicles over the next three months.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, wants to know to what extent the recent surge in COE prices can be attributed to speculation, and whether anything will be done to curb it.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang) and Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio GRC) will ask if the Government might consider tweaking the COE policy to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses.