Transcript of Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the Handover Ceremony of Singapore's Fifth Tranche of Humanitarian Assistance for Gaza, 1 November 2024

Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development;

Mr Hawazi Daipi, Singapore’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority;

Mr Abdul Razak Maricar, Chairman of the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) and Mr Adnan Hamid, the CEO;

Mr Kenneth Wong from UNICEF;

Friends, ladies and gentlemen;

1                         First, a very good afternoon to all of you and thank you for taking the time to be with us this afternoon.

2                         It has been over a year since the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on the 7 October. That in turn, has led to a conflict, first within Gaza, now including in Lebanon, with the very real risk of it extending beyond that. But beyond the military aspect, the fact is that the humanitarian consequences have been truly horrifying. It bears me repeating what we have conveyed to the Israeli government at the highest level that the Israeli military response has in fact gone too far.

3                         With winter approaching, we are very worried that the humanitarian conditions will deteriorate further. As Singapore and, in fact, many other countries and agencies have emphasised, far more needs to be done, and to be done urgently, to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians.

4                         Singapore continues to urge all parties to this conflict to agree to an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate unconditional release of all hostages. The hostages actually come from many countries, including ASEAN countries. I know of at least six from ASEAN who have still not returned. It is time for all the hostages’ suffering to come to an end, and for them to go back to their families.

5                         In the meantime, we will do what we can to alleviate the suffering in Gaza. Singapore has already provided four tranches of humanitarian assistance so far. This has included medical supplies, food, basic items and medical assistance. Our fourth tranche is currently in Cyprus awaiting transfer by ship to Israel and then subsequently to Gaza.

6                         We are here today because we are embarking on Singapore’s fifth tranche of humanitarian assistance. This will consist of the RLAF donating at least S$700,000 for now but more will come because our fundraising efforts are continuing. This amount is also inclusive of the Singapore Government’s latest contribution of US$200,000.

7                         To date, if you add everything up, Singapore has contributed approximately S$18 million to Gaza. This reflects the deep compassion of Singaporeans of all creeds, races, languages and religions. I salute the generosity of Singaporeans, and I thank the RLAF for leading these efforts.

8                         I am also very happy that UNICEF is one of the beneficiaries. I would like to say for the record that Singapore commends UNICEF, UNRWA, and other UN agencies for the essential role they play in providing and continuing to provide, life-saving support in Gaza. This is despite the very real risks, physical dangers that their staff confront on a personal and daily basis. We urge all parties to adhere to international law including making sure that we respect and protect the individual officers of these agencies, some of whom have in fact been casualties.

9                         On this note, I also would like to add that Singapore expresses our deep concern on the recent passage of legislation in the Israeli Knesset which, in our view, would hamper or hinder the essential work of UN agencies in providing relief to the people in Gaza and beyond.

10                      Let me close by thanking our partners in the Middle East for their support in facilitating Singapore’s humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza. We worked very closely, first with Egypt and Jordan for the first three tranches of our support. For the fourth tranche, we worked closely with the UAE and Cyprus. We are very grateful for our longstanding friends who have enabled us to do this and to express the compassion of Singaporeans. In addition, we are still exploring other ways to provide further direct assistance to the Palestinians. We are working especially closely with our longstanding partners in the region including the UAE, Jordan and Egypt.

11                      Thank you.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

1 NOVEMBER 2024