Singapore to conduct airdrop ops to Gaza

SINGAPORE: Singapore will be conducting humanitarian airdrop operations to deliver aid supplies to Gaza.

Singapore will be delivering its third tranche of humanitarian assistance to Gaza via Amman, Jordan.

The Defence Ministry (Mindef) said in a statement on Friday that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has deployed an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport and C-130 transport aircraft, including 69 personnel on Friday for the missions.

"At the invitation of the Jordanian government, the C130 will stay on and conduct humanitarian airdrop operations staged out of Jordan with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces," said Mindef.

In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry (MFA) said its Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan is scheduled to make a working visit to Amman, Jordan from March 16 to 17 to hand over the humanitarian assistance.

“His visit reaffirms Singapore's strong ties with partners in the Middle East, which has allowed the republic to deliver effective and timely humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” said MFA.

MFA said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to King Abdullah II of Jordan to convey the Singapore government's appreciation to the Royal Jordanian government for facilitating the delivery.

In a Facebook post, Lee expressed Singapore's commitment to assisting civilians in Gaza and called on the international community to collaborate in alleviating suffering and saving as many innocent lives as possible.

“Singapore will do what it can to help the civilians in Gaza. Given the dire humanitarian situation, the international community should work together to alleviate the suffering and save as many innocent lives as possible,” he said.