Volunteers of a Singapore humanitarian “interfaith” collaborative vehicle, flagged by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, took to the streets of Singapore on Saturday (Dec. 20) to raise funds for Gaza.
200 volunteers from the humanitarian collaborative vehicle, Humanity Matters, with donation cans and One Nation, One Humanity stickers in hand, hit the streets in support of aid to Gaza.
DPM Gan Kim Yong told the media during the event at the Armenian Church that many Singaporeans of different races and religions, and local charity organisations, had been looking for ways to help the people of Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.
He noted that many migrant workers and foreigners have joined the fund raising exercise for Gaza.
The street collection activity was held in conjunction with the UN International Human Solidarity Day which falls on the same day.
The chairman of Humanity Matters, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, said it was heartening to see so many volunteers of diverse backgrounds caring for the less fortunate, and coming together to help raise funds for the people in Gaza.
This is the third street collection organised by Humanity Matters and it will continue to raise funds until February next year.
It has been actively coordinating with its institutional partners in Jordan, Egypt and Palestine to send relief supplies.
Between November 2023 and August 2025, Humanity Matters delivered more than 84.4 tonnes of relief supplies into Gaza through the Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Erez and Zikim crossings which included several airdrops, to help address hunger and healthcare needs of Gazans, according to the Straits Times.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in statement on Saturday (Dec. 20) said, “The Singapore Government will contribute S$1 million as seed money to support public fundraising efforts for humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” adding the contribution forms the 11th tranche, “totalling over S$25 million” of Singapore’s humanitarian assistance for Gazans since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Is Aid Reaching Gaza?
“UN-backed experts say there have been improvements in nutrition and food supplies in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but 100,000 people still experienced catastrophic conditions last month,” according to a BBC report on Dec. 19.
It added that the UN and other humanitarian agencies have been able to increase food deliveries into Gaza since October’s ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The US said that Hamas is looting the aid and is impeding part of President Trump’s 20-Point Plan towards peace in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Nov. 2 posted on X, “Hamas continues to deprive the people of Gaza of the humanitarian aid they desperately need. This theft undermines international efforts in support of President Trump’s 20 Point Plan to deliver critical assistance to innocent civilians.”
“Hamas is the impediment. They must lay down their arms and stop their looting so that Gaza can have a brighter future,” he added.
Rubio also posted a footage released by the US Central Command of an observation by the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) on Oct. 31 “suspected Hamas operatives looting an aid truck traveling as part of a humanitarian convoy delivering needed assistance from international partners to Gazans in northern Khan Younis.”
The US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey signed a historic Gaza cease-fire declaration on Oct. 9 brokered by Trump to “pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny.”
The plan includes the release of all Jewish hostages held by Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza Strip, hand-over of Gaza Strip’s administration to an independent body by Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza.
A total of 3,755 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for 251 Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 2023 attack in Israel, according to The Times of Israel’s report on Dec. 16.
Only the body of an Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili, out of a total of 28 slain hostages, has not yet been released by Hamas.
It reported that some Palestinian prisoners have not been released.
Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi said these prisoners are “terrorists who have demonstrated operational capabilities,” according to the report.
