Singapore Foreign Minister to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza via Jordan

Singapore: Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will make a working visit to Amman on Saturday to hand over the city state’s third tranche of humanitarian assistance for Gaza via Jordan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Friday.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will be deploying an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and a C-130 transport aircraft for the mission.

"At the invitation of the Jordanian government, the C-130 will stay on and conduct humanitarian airdrop operations staged out of Jordan with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces," Channel News Asia quoted MFA as saying.

Dr Balakrishnan's visit "reaffirms Singapore’s strong ties with partners in the Middle East, which have allowed us to deliver effective and timely humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza," said MFA.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (RHCC) led efforts to coordinate and consolidate contributions of humanitarian aid supplies from agencies including the SAF, Ministry of Health (MOH) and non-governmental organisation Relief Singapore, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said on Friday.

The 69 personnel deployed to support these operations departed earlier on Friday on the MRTT and C-130 from Changi Air Base (East) and Paya Lebar Air Base respectively.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also wrote to Jordan's King Abdullah II to convey the Singapore government’s appreciation to the Jordanian government for facilitating the delivery of the country's aid to Gaza.

Lee added that the RSAF "welcomes the opportunity to work with the Royal Jordanian Air Force to conduct air drops of humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza".

"Given the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the international community should work together to alleviate the suffering and save as many innocent lives as possible. Singapore will do what it can to help the civilians in Gaza," said Lee.

He also said that Singapore continues to appreciate King Abdullah's active leadership in seeking a resolution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We believe that a negotiated two-state solution, consistent with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, is the only viable option to achieve a comprehensive, just and durable peace between Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The way forward will be more challenging than ever, but we cannot lose hope," said Lee.