Singapore Red Cross boosts Gaza aid amid escalating crisis

[MIDDLE EAST] The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged an additional $400,000 to humanitarian assistance in Gaza in response to the escalation of hostilities that began on March 18.

According to a statement released on March 27, the cash would be utilized for emergency health services, primary care, mental health assistance, and relief operations. The funds will also go toward the running of a 60-bed field hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, which provides life-saving trauma and basic medical care to 200 individuals every day.

Mr DS Vickram, the operations coordinator, will be dispatched to Cairo for two weeks beginning April 13 to facilitate humanitarian supplies transportation from Egypt to the Gaza Strip and oversee on-the-ground operations.

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary-General and CEO of the Singapore Red Cross, stated that the deployment "enables SRC to provide more targeted and responsive interventions, ensuring that humanitarian aid is timely, relevant, and impactful for the most vulnerable".

The SRC's renewed commitment comes at a critical time, since Gaza's humanitarian situation has deteriorated dramatically since hostilities resumed. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 142,000 Palestinians have been displaced in a single week since March 18. The forced relocation is mostly due to Israel's evacuation orders and the destruction of homes and public infrastructure, which affects around 15% of Gaza.

On March 18, Israel began bombings on Gaza, essentially ending the two-month cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel and Hamas resumed hostilities.

According to OCHA, as of March 25, at least 50,144 Palestinians had been killed and 113,704 injured since October 7, 2023. The healthcare sector is straining to deal with hundreds of casualties while confronting significant shortages of medical supplies, equipment, blood units, and manpower.

SRC had earlier promised $300,000 in relief supplies, including food boxes, hygiene kits, and medical supplies, in response to Hamas and Israel's ceasefire on January 19.

This prior promise was part of SRC's greater endeavor to increase humanitarian assistance throughout the truce period. The organization had been working closely with the Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to obtain and transport critical humanitarian materials via the Rafah border crossing. During that period, the ERCS worked with state officials to increase aid delivery into Gaza, with plans for 600 truckloads of aid and fuel to arrive daily during the first phase of the truce.

SRC's current fund-raising appeal will run until April 30, and members of the public can donate online at https://redcross.sg/donate-gazacrisis . Donations through cheque or PayNow can be done at http://redcross.sg/gazacrisis .

The SRC said that to date, it has disbursed close to $1.5 million worth of humanitarian aid, such as medical supplies, hygiene kits, food provisions, water filtration systems, and food parcels, through its partnership with the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.

The protracted turmoil has had an impact on other humanitarian organizations. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that Gaza's remaining water supply infrastructure is at risk of total failure, drastically limiting access to clean water if fuel sources run out. The scarcity of safe water is already having a devastating impact on public health, underscoring the critical need for ongoing humanitarian assistance.