S’pore delivers $1.3m in Gaza humanitarian aid, bringing total contributions to $19m
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(From left) Unicef adviser Joana Perez Martorell, Unicef Middle East and Africa deputy regional director of operations Abdul Fofana, RLAF board of trustees member Zalman Putra Hamid Ali, RLAF CEO Adnan Hamid, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman, Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Jordan Shamsher Zaman, and Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation's secretary-general Hussein Al Shebli and finance director Raad Awad.
PHOTO: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
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SINGAPORE – About $1.3 million in humanitarian support for Gaza has been handed over to aid agencies in Jordan, bringing Singapore’s Gaza donations to more than $19 million.
The latest tranche of funds, collected by local charity Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), was split into two parts.
About $851,000 was given to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation and $435,000 went to the United Nations Children’s Fund, or Unicef, to support the work in leading the global humanitarian aid effort for civilians in Gaza.
Speaking at a ceremony in the Jordanian capital Amman on Jan 21 to mark the handover, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Maliki Osman said Singapore welcomes the ceasefire and hostage release agreement
The hope is that the ceasefire agreement
Nevertheless, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire.
Dr Maliki said: “Humanitarian assistance must now take precedence. The agreement will hopefully provide a much-needed opening to step up the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, to alleviate the immense suffering there.
“Since the start of the conflict, Singapore has been focused especially on the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
He also thanked the RLAF for spearheading the effort to raise funds in Singapore.
He added: “While the conflict in Gaza is thousands of miles away, the suffering of civilians in Gaza speaks to our common humanity.
“Since the start of the conflict, Singaporeans have opened their hearts and wallets, contributing about $13 million to RLAF’s fund-raising efforts.”
Dr Maliki also reaffirmed the deep and enduring friendship between Singapore and Jordan, which has allowed close cooperation in the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He added that Jordan has been at the forefront of providing much-needed humanitarian aid and medical care for civilians in Gaza since the conflict started in October 2023.
For instance, aside from running two field hospitals in Gaza, Jordan has transported over 57,000 tonnes of aid into Gaza overland and via airdrops.
In March 2024, at Jordan’s invitation, the Republic of Singapore Air Force participated in a multinational operation led by the country to air-drop essential supplies into Gaza.
“This is a testament to the deep and enduring friendship between our two countries,” said Dr Maliki, who is also Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.
A longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated on Oct 7, 2023, when an attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Jan 19 said the death toll in the 15-month war stands at 46,913 – most of them civilians. The UN said the death toll numbers are reliable.
The ceasefire deal began on Jan 19, with an initial six-week phase during which hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for prisoners detained by Israel.
As part of Singapore’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza victims, it had linked up with regional partners such as Jordan, Cyprus, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to provide five earlier tranches of humanitarian assistance.
Dr Maliki said another shipment of aid and relief items will be air-delivered through Jordan shortly, and more details will be provided soon.
He added that Singapore will continue to explore ways to support humanitarian and relief efforts alongside its regional partners.
“As announced last week, Singapore will be working on sending an air shipment of humanitarian supplies to the Palestinian people, and we are happy to once again work with our Jordanian partners on this,” he said.
Further fund-raising efforts are expected to continue, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Dr Maliki reiterated Singapore’s hope for both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to come together for direct negotiations on a two-state solution, in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
“Our position has always been that this is the only viable path to achieving a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.
Beyond financial assistance, the Singapore Government has been working closely with Palestinian leaders to help them build capacity and prepare for eventual statehood through its enhanced technical assistance package, which started in 2013.
“Almost 800 Palestinian officials have benefited from our capacity-building efforts, through study visits to Singapore and courses in areas like public administration, urban development and healthcare,” he said.
A total of 14 Palestinians have been awarded scholarships to pursue postgraduate education at Singapore universities as part of the package, with the Government committing $10 million in 2016, he added.
In a Facebook post on Jan 22, Dr Maliki said he hoped the ceasefire agreement would enable a scaled-up and unhindered delivery of aid in Gaza.
“Beyond that, we hope that all parties will respect and comply with the terms of the agreement, and work towards an end to the conflict.”
