Singapore bolsters defence ties with Jordan following Gaza aid airdrop operations
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Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad has reaffirmed Singapore’s warm and friendly defence ties with Jordan following the city state’s airdrop operations on Aug 15 to deliver aid supplies to Gaza.
Mr Zaqy met Major-General Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Jordan Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Amman on Aug 17 to thank him for Jordan’s invitation for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to participate in airdrop operations to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
A total of 58 defence and military personnel were deployed in support of these operations.
“Both sides also discussed potential avenues for further collaboration between both armed forces to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
On Aug 18, he visited Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel who were deployed for the airdrop operations, and also those from Humanity Matters, at the King Abdullah II Air Base.
Mr Zaqy thanked the non-governmental organisation’s (NGO) representatives for contributing additional humanitarian aid supplies, which will be airdropped by the SAF in the coming days, Mindef said.
In the Mindef statement, he noted that it was his third humanitarian mission in the Middle East with the SAF.
He said that those deployed are “committed to ensuring every package lands safely and reaches the people of Gaza”, despite security and safety risks they face working in a conflict zone.
“For me, this is more than a military mission... This is Singapore’s collective effort, representing our people’s compassion and push for humanity,” he said.
Mr Zaqy is in Jordan for a working visit from Aug 17 to 18.
An RSAF C-130 transport aircraft airdropped medical and food supplies to Gaza on Aug 15 as part of wider efforts by other foreign air forces at the invitation of the Jordanian government.
The medical supplies were from the Ministry of Health, while the food aid came from NGOs such as Humanity Matters, Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives Singapore, Mercy Relief and the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation.
The effort was coordinated through the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force C-130 aidrops humanitarian aid packages to Gaza on Aug 15.
PHOTO: REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE AIR FORCE/FACEBOOK
The RSAF conducted its first airdrop
The Aug 15 airdrop was the ninth tranche of assistance for Gaza from Singapore since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict
Including this latest tranche, Singapore has contributed more than $22 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Mr Zaqy said earlier that the airdrop operations were “one way to show how the whole community rallies together to show compassion” and show “how it brings together all the resources and Singaporeans”.
