Singapore supports calls for immediate end to Gaza war, full and unimpeded flow of aid: Faishal
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said he was "deeply saddened" by the continuing loss of innocent lives in Gaza.
SINGAPORE - Several countries have jointly called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, and to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid there, a stance Singapore supports, said Acting Minister for Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.
'I fully share their urgency for the sake of humanity,' said Assoc Prof Faishal in a Facebook post early on July 23.
He added that the Republic has consistently called for the full and unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and has been supporting efforts to alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza.
'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,' Assoc Prof Faishal said in his post.
'The violence cannot go on. It's time to stop the suffering and work towards peace and dignity for everyone.'
Assoc Prof Faishal's 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, including Japan, Britain and France, condemned the 'inhumane killing' of Palestinians there and what they called the 'drip feeding of aid' to these people.
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More than 800 civilians have been killed while seeking aid, the majority near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites backed by the United States and Israel.
The foundation largely bypasses the UN-led system that Israel says has let 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 the country to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the statement was 'disconnected from reality' and it would send the wrong message to Hamas.
Separately, MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim said in a Facebook post on July 23 that 'such atrocities' need to be investigated, sharing screengrabs on a media article on the joint statement, as well as Assoc Prof Faishal's Facebook post.
The lawyer reiterated that Singapore supports an investigation into breaches of international law, in the conflict between Israel and Hamas since
Hamas' Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel, referencing a reply by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to his parliamentary question in November 2023.
Then, Dr Balakrishnan said: '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.
'We hope that all parties will cooperate in the investigations.'
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