In light of the man-made famine in Gaza, caused by the Israeli blockade of global food aid, key nations such as France and the U.K. are in the process of recognizing a Palestinian State and imposing sanctions on Israel, should the blockade continue.
At the Shangri-La dialogue held on 30 May, PM Lawrence Wong stated:
We’ve always said that Israel has a right to defend itself, but unfortunately its response has gone too far and its actions have caused a terrible humanitarian disaster, and the restrictions imposed on the delivery of humanitarian supplies are completely unacceptable.
In our opinion, it may even be a likely breach of international humanitarian law – so it cannot be justified.
We join countries around the world to call for an immediate ceasefire, for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, for the protection of civilians, and also for the return of hostages.
PM Wong’s consideration that Israel is breaking international humanitarian law comes in response to the ongoing man-made famine in Gaza Strip, as Israel’s nearly total restrictions on aid puts 100% of the population at immediate risk of starvation.
The UN is ready to deliver enough aid to feed all Palestinians in Gaza for at least four months as soon as Israel allows its trucks to enter the Strip.
According to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general:
We have more than 171,000 metric tons of food on top of other life-saving supplies, and they’re ready to go the minute that Israel opens the gates.
Source: UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 25 May 2025)
100+ Palestinians have been killed at US-Israel operated aid distribution centres in Gaza in under 8 days, as armed guards opened fire on starving civilians.
As the UNRWA (the United Nations Relief Works Agency) and other international aid operations face total restrictions from entry into Gaza by Israel, the US-Israel operated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is the only distributor of aid during the blockade. The GHF, operated by armed guards with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), have been reported as opening fire on starving aid seekers.
The BBC reports, “The foundation, which uses armed American security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid in Gaza. It has been roundly condemned and boycotted by aid agencies and the UN. But Israel has said an alternative to the existing aid system was needed to stop Hamas stealing aid, which the group denies doing.”
Gaza’s Government Media Office accused Israel of “a horrific, intentionally repeated crime”, saying it has been luring starving Palestinians to the GHF centres – opened after an 11-week total Israeli blockade to take over most aid distribution from the United Nations and other aid agencies – and then opening fire.
Videos from Palestinian civilians attest to long-distance heavy gunfire and shelling, targeted at adults and children seeking aid at GHF distribution points.
According to Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary,
“We heard from witnesses that there was chaos. The Israeli forces just opened fire randomly, shooting Palestinians, … using quadcopters and live ammunition.”
As of 3 June, the number of aid seekers killed at aid sites in the Rafah governorate and the Netzarim Corridor since GHF launched operations to 102 with 490 people injured.
GHF operations were suspended between 5-6 June, which falls on Eid Al-Adha (or Arafat Day) a significant holy day for Muslims.
On 5 June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israel has been arming a criminal gang widely accused of looting humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to the group, Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media on Thursday:
… On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What is bad about that?
It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers.
The U.N. is warning that acute malnutrition among Gaza’s young children has soared in recent months, with more than 2,700 Palestinians under the age of 5 diagnosed. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has called for a halt to what it calls the “relentless and systematic decimation of hospitals in Gaza.”
According to Chris Gunness, former UNRWA Spokesperson:
“The Israel-American aid operation has turned Gaza into a human abattoir where starving civilians are herded like animals into fenced off pens, and in the process are slaughtered like cattle …
The UN and other international aid operations who have a long history in Gaza need to be allowed back in by Israel, and that includes UNRWA, the backbone of the humanitarian response. Because without it, mass starvation will continue to claim the lives of innocent children who are now starving to death on our TV screens.
If Israel continues with this war crime, this crime against humanity, the international community must impose economic and military sanctions immediately.”
How are governments responding to Israel’s starvation of the Gaza Strip?
At the 30 May Shangri-La dialogue held in Singapore, French President Emmanuel Macron declared:
The recognition of a Palestinian State is not merely a moral duty, but a political necessity.
[La création d’un Etat palestinien » n’était « pas simplement un devoir moral, mais une exigence politique.]
The UK has announced it is summoning the Israeli ambassador in London and suspending its free trade agreement with Israel in a landmark move that tears up friendly relations between the two countries.
On 11 June, David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary announced in a joint statement with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway that sanctions are imposed on Israel’s national security minister Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“Today, I’m talking about sanctions, I’m talking about asset freezes, and I’m talking about travel bans of these two particular ministers: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich who have been inciting violence against Palestinian people. When the UK says we are against something, we absolutely expect the government to condemn it and put a stop to it. It hasn’t stopped, and that’s why we’re acting with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway today.
They have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights. We have been raising this with the Israeli government, both privately and publicly. We were raising it before we came to government, and indeed the last government raised it as an issue. And alongside our partners Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway – today we are announcing sanctions against those individuals because we have been absolutely clear this has to stop, and we stand for a two-state solution. And the settler violence that we’ve seen in the West Bank, particularly, is entirely unacceptable and must stop.
… We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
11 Months have Elapsed since Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan stated Singapore is prepared, in-principle to recognize the State of Palestine
In response to a parliamentary question by PAP MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim on 11 November 2024, Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan said that the International Criminal Courts (ICC) directive for UN member states to use the terminology “State of Palestine” in submissions has “no impact” on Singapore’s diplomatic position.
As I stated in Parliament on 2 July 2024, Singapore is prepared in-principle to recognise the State of Palestine and will make this move at the appropriate time. The key consideration is that such a move should help progress towards peace and a negotiated two-state solution.
On 20 May 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Gaza:
Singapore calls for the immediate full resumption of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian civilians in Gaza and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. All remaining hostages held by Hamas should be released immediately. Singapore has consistently called for all parties in the conflict to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, and ensure that all civilians are kept out of harm’s way. Civilian infrastructure including medical facilities, as well as medical workers, must be accorded due protection.
Singapore reiterates its support for a negotiated two-state solution consistent with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. This is the only viable path to achieving a comprehensive, just and durable solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We urge parties to refrain from unilateral actions that hinder the peace process. The conflict cannot be resolved by the permanent forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
20 MAY 2025
Several efforts are being made by Singaporeans to urge the government to recognize the State of Palestine.
On 8 October 2024, the Singapore-based advocacy group Lepak Conversations sent a letter to the Minister, signed by former PAP MPs, former NMPs, and key organizations. The letter was followed by a petition for Singaporeans on 23 October, which garnered over 10,000 signatures in under 2 months. To date, there is no response from the Minister.
During the 2025 General Elections, the Worker’s Party manifesto called for Singapore to recognise Palestine as a State:
We put that proposal forward because we felt that this is a very important issue for a lot of Singaporeans. Many countries recognize the Palestinian Authority, but not all countries recognize Palestine as a state, and we thought it is important for us to put forward this position because we feel that it would advance the peace process.
I actually posed this question in Parliament as well to the Foreign Minister, and if my memory serves me right, I think he didn’t disagree with the position. What the government’s position was is that they want to wait until the conditions on the ground are suitable, where there’s a viable government in Palestine before they were recognize it as a state.
But I think we might be in a catch-22 situation right now. If there is no recognition of Palestine as a state, how are they going to be able to negotiate with another state, on very thorny issues that are need to be sorted out before the peace process can be taken forward?
“Cruel and dehumanising”: Former President Dr. Halimah Yacob advocates for Palestinians who are shot and killed at food distribution points by militarised Israeli organisation
On 5 June, Dr. Halimah Yacob posted a … on Facebook that detailed the excruciating conditions that Palestinians have to go through in seeking food and aid during the Israeli blockade, citing articles from the BBC and the Financial Times.
Starving Palestinians had to walk tens of kilometres through rubbles and the possibility of being shot or bombed, to get to the food distribution centres in the south operated by the Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Instead of getting food, almost 60 were killed over three days by Israeli soldiers. Gaza has become like “hell on earth” said the Red Cross Chief. The UN Human Rights Commissioner, said that for Palestinians, it’s a choice between dying of starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being provided through Israel’s militarised humanitarian assistance. This is cruel and dehumanising. Meanwhile, the 5th UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, supported by 14 countries, was defeated by only one country, the US.
The Financial Times reports that Israel’s militarised humanitarian assistance has turned food queues into “kill zones“. Videos of mass shootings by Israeli aircraft on crowds of Palestinian civilians waiting for aid at the Netzarim corridor on 7 June have surfaced on social media.
Starving civilians.”
Posted to Instagram by @KhaledBeydoun on 7 June 2025
No Israeli Arms at Singapore Airshow 2026: An Open Letter to Ministers and MPs
An open letter and petition has been put to Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow, and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing not to host 10 weapons manufacturers that are actively supplying military systems that are used against civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Singapore Airshow is a major platform for global arms manufacturers to promote, sell, and profit from military systems. As Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip are repeatedly determined as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, the open letter urges the Singapore Airshow and relevant Ministers to consider that Singapore cannot be involved – legally, ethically, or financially – with the repeated and severe human rights violations that may be undertaken by the Israeli state.
The open letter states:
Caring about the Singapore Airshow 2026 means recognizing the broader systems of militarisation, the environmental destruction it fuels, and the oppression it supports. It’s a call to critically examine who profits from war, whose suffering is rendered invisible in glossy expo halls, and what kind of global security we are truly building. What’s being destroyed in Gaza today threatens the planet we all share tomorrow.
The petition states 2 demands:
We, the undersigned, demand that:
The Singapore Airshow in Feb 2026 refuses participation to:
- Israeli state-owned military manufacturers
- Any company supplying weapons to Israel
According to a 2016 article, The Cruel Experiments of Israel’s Arms Industry by the Pulitzer Center,
The idea that the Israeli arms industry benefits from the occupation through having a captive population it can test new weaponry on is now widely accepted.
Israel tries out weapons in the West Bank and Gaza and then presents them as “battle proven” to the international market.
The move toward recognizing Palestine as a State and sanctioning Israel reflects a growing consensus of Israel’s status as a rogue state and apartheid regime.
On May 21, Israeli soldiers opened fire to intimidate a delegation of 35 ambassadors, consuls, and diplomats as they approached the Jenin camp in the West Bank.
The camp has been under siege since Jan 21. The delegation included diplomats from France, Britain, Canada, Spain, Russia, the European Union, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, and a number of representatives of other countries.
As reported on 28 May 2025 by Haaretz, a major Israeli newspaper, other news journals and scholarly institutes, a recent poll conducted by Penn State University studying genocidal attitudes in Israelis reveals:
82% of Israelis support the forced expulsion of Palestinians in Gaza
56% of Israelis support the forced expulsion of Palestinians in Israel (labelled “Israeli Arabs”)
47% of Israelis support “killing all Palestinians in enemy cities captured by the IDF.”
The poll was conducted by Tamir Sorek, a Professor of Middle East History at Pennsylvania State University, focusing on conflict and resistance in the context of Palestine/Israel.
The diplomatic turn toward sanctions on Israel reflect adverse reactions to the extremist actions, rhetoric, and ideology of the Israeli government.
We are destroying everything that remains in Gaza, the world isn’t stopping us
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich
The enemy is not Hamas. Every child, every baby in Gaza is the enemy. We need to conquer Gaza and settle it, and not leave a single Gazan child there. There is no other kind of victory.”
Moshe Feiglin, Israeli politician and former MK for the Likud Party
The UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights has also expressed concern that Israeli terrorism laws allow children as young as 12 to be sentenced to life-in-prison, which could violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Expansion of Israel’s Warfare Threatens Wider Military Conflict in the Region and Global Peace
Israel attacks Iran in Unprovoked, “Pre-emptive” Air Strikes
On 13 June, Israel’s military launched a barrage of strikes on Iran, including the capital, Tehran. Residential buildings were targeted, as well as nuclear sites. Among those killed were 20 senior Iranian commanders and 6 nuclear scientists. Key Iranian commanders were killed, including the chief of staff of the armed forces, and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
These strikes were launched unprovoked, while Israeli officials say they are “pre-emptive” strikes. Israeli PM Netanyahu vowed to continue the attack on Iran “for as many days as it takes”.
The aggression has led to fears of a wider military conflict in the region.
Strikes have been confirmed in the following locations:
- The capital, Tehran, and military sites in the surrounding area.
- The city of Natanz, where explosions were reported at the main uranium enrichment facility.
- The city of Tabriz, where explosions have been reported near a nuclear research centre and two military bases.
- The city of Isfahan, south of Tehran.
- The city of Arak, southwest of Tehran.
- The city of Kermanshah, west of Tehran.
Over 3,300 Ceasefire Violations by Israel in Lebanon Since Agreement in November 2024
Since the 27 November 2024 ceasefire, Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 208 people and injuries to more than 500 since the agreement.
The most recent attack on 5 June 2025 in the suburbs of Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, marks the fourth attack by Israel since the ceasefire agreement. Israeli fighter jets launched eight airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburb, following evacuation warnings.
Israel claimed, without providing evidence, that its latest attack was launched against Hezbollah “drone factories” in the Lebanese capital. The Lebanese military (which is separate from Hezbollah), added that Israel rejected its proposal to inspect the alleged drone production sites in southern Beirut in order to prevent an air strike.
Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached last November.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.
What’s keeping Singapore from recognizing Palestine as a state, when such a move is in line with our commitment to a two-state solution?
Between 7 October 2023 and 4 June 2025, according to the MoH in Gaza as stated by OCHA, at least 54,607 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip while 125,341 have been reported injured.
Israel has been relentlessly and gravely in breach of international law and diplomatic norms, and has contravened numerous human rights agreements.
Our Ministers have consistently framed the government’s position as sensible, prudent, and pragmatic in safeguarding the security of Singapore, while being agile and judicious in the theatre of international relations and diplomacy.
We must consider the reality that Israel is gravely in breach of international law, diplomatic norms, and ceasefire and humanitarian agreements, and that without intervention, may be emboldened to continue to act against international humanitarian law and plunge the region into chaos through military aggression.
For months, the UN has determined the IDF to be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide – in particular, the use of starvation as an act of war – actions which are escalating in intensity and severity.
The decision to not only be ‘ready in principle’, but to formally recognize the State of Palestine, is possibly one of the most significant decisions Singapore can make now to prove its ability take sensible, timely, and judicious diplomatic actions.
Not only will the recognition of a Palestinian State and sanctions on Israel represent the national interests of Singaporeans, it is essential to advancing the peace process, which is in the interest of the security of the international community at large.
As the population of Gaza undergoes mass starvation due to 3 months of Israeli blockade, it is time for Singapore, as a member of the international community, to deeply consider what our commitment to the peaceful two-state solution and an end to the intensifying humanitarian disaster in Gaza requires of us.
More from Wake Up Singapore:
Flotilla to Gaza Defies Israeli Blockade, Nears Coast with Aid and Activists
2 ex-PAP MPs, 5 ex-NMPs and Academics urge Singapore to recognise the State of Palestine
Should Singapore Expedite the Recognition of Palestinian Statehood?
