SINGAPORE – Several countries have jointly called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid there – a stance Singapore supports, said Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim.
“I fully share their urgency for the sake of humanity,” Associate Professor Faishal said in a Facebook post on July 23.
He added that Singapore has consistently called for the full and unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and has supported efforts to alleviate the suffering of people there.
“At the same time, we also continue to call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. Every life matters.
“I hope the relevant parties will come to an agreement quickly, because every day this war continues, more lives are lost, and more families are broken,” Prof Faishal said.
“The violence cannot go on. It’s time to stop the suffering and work towards peace and dignity for everyone.”
His post comes after a group of largely European nations issued a statement on July 21 calling for Israel to immediately end its war in Gaza.
The group of nations, which includes Japan, Britain and France, condemned the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians and what they called the “drip feeding of aid” to them.
More than 800 civilians have reportedly been killed while seeking aid, the majority near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites backed by the US and Israel.
The foundation largely bypasses the UN-led system, which Israel says has allowed Hamas-affiliated militants to loot aid shipments.
The countries behind the July 21 joint statement said Israel was denying essential humanitarian aid and called on it to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the statement was “disconnected from reality” and sends the wrong message to Hamas.
Separately, Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim said in a Facebook post on July 23 that “such atrocities” need to be investigated, sharing screengrabs of a media article on the joint statement and Prof Faishal’s post.
The lawyer reiterated that Singapore supports an investigation into breaches of international law in the conflict since
referencing a reply by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to his parliamentary question in November 2023.
Dr Balakrishnan said then that “any alleged violation of international humanitarian law in this conflict should therefore be investigated in accordance with international law... Yes, we would support that investigation into all allegations, in accordance with international law”.
