SINGAPORE: A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plane delivering about nine tonnes of supplies bound for Gaza left Singapore for Jordan on Wednesday (Feb 12), the seventh such tranche of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian enclave.

The RSAF A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, carrying a shipment of medical, food and hygiene supplies from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Relief SG, Mercy Relief, and Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives Singapore (CHARIS), took off from Changi Air Base on Wednesday morning, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a joint statement.

The send-off ceremony was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad, as well as Jordan’s ambassador to Singapore Samer Anton Naber and Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to Jordan Shamsher Zaman.

Singapore’s representative to the Palestinian Authority Hawazi Daipi and representatives from participating non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also present.

“Singapore may be far away, but we do what we can to help,” said Dr Balakrishnan.

“This reflects compassion from the diversity across Singapore society. We are grateful that we can, in our own small way, make a difference to the lives and health of our brothers and sisters of Palestine.”

Dr Balakrishnan also thanked the Jordanian government and Jordan’s King Abdullah for facilitating the delivery of the aid supplies.

“We would not have been able to deliver recurrent tranches of humanitarian assistance without our very close network and partnership with our friends in the Middle East,” he said.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, Singapore has sent seven tranches of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, totalling over S$19 million (US$14 million).

Last month, Singapore handed over its sixth tranche of aid to Gaza, totalling about S$1.3 million.

“We hope that through the humanitarian assistance that we provided, especially with the coming month of Ramadan, will bring relief to the Gazans, the Palestinians, who are affected by the current humanitarian crisis,” said Mr Zaqy, who is also Senior Minister of State for Manpower.

Mr Zaqy, who will be in Amman, Jordan, to deliver the humanitarian aid package for Gaza via the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), also thanked the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel involved in the mission and the various aid agencies working to provide the necessary packages and assistance.

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire on Jan 19 after nearly 16 months of war.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that the truce would end if Hamas did not continue to release the hostages it had agreed to under the terms of the ceasefire.

“We hope that in this window, when the truce still holds, that these supplies will be able to reach the civilians who so desperately need it,” said Dr Balakrishnan.

MINDEF and MFA said Singapore will continue to work closely with its partners in the region as well as local NGOs to support the pressing humanitarian needs in Gaza.

“Certainly, we are watching very closely the various developments out in the Middle East, and we hope that there can be lasting peace, and that a resolution and reconstruction of Gaza is possible,” said Mr Zaqy.