New humanitarian network brings together aid groups, Govt to strengthen aid efforts in Gaza - The Straits Times

(From left) Hema Niroshini from Humanity Matters explaining the relief items from her non-profit group to Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad, and MP for Yio Chu Kang SMC Yip Hon Weng.

SINGAPORE – A new humanitarian network will be set up, bringing together established non-profit organisations and the Government, to strengthen Singapore’s aid efforts in Gaza. 

Known as the SG for Humanity initiative, it will identify ways for local groups to collaborate and connect with overseas humanitarian partners.

The Government will support these efforts by facilitating engagement with foreign authorities and humanitarian groups, said Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad, who announced the network with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng.

The aim is to go beyond mobilising funds and resources to strengthening the last-mile delivery of humanitarian assistance and expanding opportunities for Singaporeans to contribute through their expertise, fund raising or volunteering, he added.

For a start, four groups will be involved: Humanity Matters (HM), Mercy Relief (MR), Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), and Singapore Red Cross (SRC), which have been raising money and providing relief supplies.

Zhulkarnain said more aid organisations will be added eventually, and the initiative can also be replicated for humanitarian efforts in other parts of the world in future.

Zaqy, who has been involved in four humanitarian aid missions with the Singapore Armed Forces, including an airdrop operation in Gaza, said working more closely with the overseas authorities and partners can help to improve the delivery of aid on the ground, which is where there is a gap.

He noted that the four aid groups, which have been active in Gaza since the war broke out in 2023, have sometimes encountered issues navigating border controls.

The war in Iran has worsened security in the Middle East, further complicating things, said Zaqy, who is also Senior Minister of State for Defence.

With SG for Humanity, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, which will facilitate the network, can work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help ensure that the groups can get the aid to families and children who need it most, he said.  

The Government can also provide information on the security situation on the ground, so aid groups know when they can go in, he added.

Zaqy, who is slated to visit Egypt, which plays a central role in facilitating humanitarian assistance to Gaza, said he will meet with Egyptian authorities and humanitarian partners to discuss what more Singapore can do to support aid efforts.

This includes strengthening the reach of Singapore’s efforts through partnership with the Palestinian Red Crescent, Egyptian Red Crescent, and other UN bodies, he said.

Another aim of the initiative is to galvanise Singaporeans and broaden opportunities for them to contribute, he said.

“The willingness to help is there, and we need to create more ways for Singaporeans to act,” he said.

For instance, the network could pave the way for doctors and nurses who are keen to volunteer on the ground.

Beyond Gaza, there are also many displaced Palestinians in the region, and the network can help to divert aid to these places, said Zaqy. He added that regular Singaporeans across races and religions have expressed a desire to do more for those affected by the crisis in Gaza, including some Singaporeans who are working in Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

“Many have asked whether they can do something, because otherwise there’s a lot of pent-up compassion (and desire) to support our brothers and sisters out there in Palestine,” he said.

Through the initiative, the aid groups can reach out to more Singaporeans and create more awareness of their causes, said Baey.

Zhulkarnain said the network can help to channel Singaporeans and aid in the right direction, such as ensuring that they partner with legitimate organisations that are officially recognised in the jurisdictions. “All of this is playing out in a situation where the environment is conducive for the divisive. People are trying to tear us apart, but we Singaporeans are pulling together our weight in the one direction,” he said.

MCCY said the four groups that will kick off the initiative have made substantial contributions, and will continue to lead their respective humanitarian programmes and engagements.

The ministry will facilitate their work through the network.

Representatives from the four groups welcomed the opportunity to work together.

Adnan Abdul Hamid, chief executive of RLAF, said the groups can leverage each other’s expertise and strengths through the network.

Some may have good ground knowledge or logistics networks, while others are strong in fund raising, he added.

Hassan Ahmad, special adviser on humanitarian issues at HM, said the Government’s help with engaging foreign authorities will help to pave the way for smoother aid delivery.

Amid the difficulties and dangers on the ground, the network can also offer some protection to aid workers and help to channel aid to those who need it most, said Nur Hafiza AB, assistant head of international affairs at SRC.

Leon Yip, chief executive of MR, said the network will help to create more awareness among Singaporeans and the wider international community about the work of the aid organisations and the “uniquely Singaporean brand of humanitarian action”.

The current situation on the ground makes it hard for aid groups to bring along inexperienced volunteers, he said, adding that he hopes the network will help Singaporeans see what aid groups like MR are doing with their donations, and trust them to “make good of their intent to help the Gaza communities”.

More details on SG for Humanity’s upcoming initiatives will be announced in due course, said MCCY.

Singapore has contributed over $25 million in humanitarian aid for affected civilians in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, with some 11 tranches of aid so far from the Government.

Aid groups have also provided mobile clinics, psychosocial assistance to children in Gaza, as well as education, water and sanitation.

The Gaza war broke out on Oct 7, 2023, following Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have since killed more than 74,000 people, according to figures tracked by Reuters and the Gaza Health Ministry.

In 2025, the Singapore Government provided $1 million in seed funding, distributed equally among the four aid groups to support their public fund raising and humanitarian assistance efforts for Gaza.