Civil order in Gaza 'starting to break down' as food stores ransacked: UN - CNA

The conflict began on Oct 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border and went on the rampage in Israel, killing 1,400 people and kidnapping 230 others, Israeli officials say.

Since then, Israel has staged a withering bombardment that the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says has killed more than 8,000 people in the Palestinian territory, half of them children.

Israel also imposed a total blockade on normal food, water, medicine and fuel deliveries into Gaza, with the first convoy of humanitarian aid entering only two weeks later.

Since then, UNRWA says 84 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza but aid agencies say the numbers are far too low. Before the conflict, UN figures showed an average of 500 trucks a day entering Gaza.

"Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient," said White.

"The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meagre and inconsistent," said the UN official.

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2023-10-29 10:13:00Z
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Singapore showed clear stand on Israel-Hamas conflict in vote supporting UN resolution: Shanmugam - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Singapore took a clear stand and expressed its concerns on the grave situation in Gaza by supporting a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam on Sunday.

The Republic on Friday cast a “very major vote” in support of a non-binding resolution drafted by the Arab states, which received 121 votes in favour, 14 against and 44 abstentions.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Shanmugam noted that the resolution – titled “Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations” – had called for a truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.

It also called for an immediate and unhindered provision of essential supplies to civilians in Gaza, for Israel to rescind its evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip, and rejected the forced transfer of Palestinians.

The resolution also reaffirmed that the solution to the conflict should be through a peaceful two-state solution, Mr Shanmugam said at an event organised by non-profit organisation Humanity Matters to pack medical and relief supplies for people in Gaza.

Singapore’s position on the conflict was made clear by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong some days ago, and the UN resolution is consistent with the position that the Republic has taken over 50 years, Mr Shanmugam said.

He added: “But, while we voted in support of the resolution, we did not think it comprehensively set out the whole picture.”

There are two areas the resolution should have mentioned, he said.

“We must still condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October, which cannot be justified, and we need to note also Israel’s right to self-defence, but that right to self-defence cannot include indiscriminate killing of civilians, and it must be done in accordance with international law.”

When asked about some posts by the Israeli Embassy that could be advocating for a cause, Mr Shanmugam said Singapore does not take any foreign interference in its domestic politics lightly.

“Our position is quite clear. We expect any ambassador or embassy to respect the way things are done in Singapore,” he added.

“So, we do track closely what foreign missions say and do here, and whenever necessary, we will speak firmly to them, to make our position clear. We have done so before, and if need be, we will do so again.”

Turning to why the authorities have disallowed public rallies at Hong Lim Park relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict on public order reasons, Mr Shanmugam said that if Singapore allows one group to hold rallies, it must allow other groups to do so as well.

For example, religious groups like Muslim and Christian organisations have wanted to hold rallies, he said.

“We took the decision that we will not allow rallies by anyone. We don’t want to import foreign arguments into Singapore.”

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2023-10-29 08:55:44Z
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China kickstarts Xiangshan Forum in absence of defence minister - CNA

BEIJING: China's biggest annual show of military diplomacy started on Sunday (Oct 29) although the Asian power is still missing a defence minister, who typically hosts this event.

China hopes to use the Beijing Xiangshan Forum to promote President Xi Jinping's vision for a safer world and draw developing countries closer, as it faces increased coordination between the United States and its allies to curtail its military ambitions.

Russia, which started a war in Ukraine in 2022, is being given centre stage at the forum. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is listed in the forum's agenda as the first guest speaker at Monday's opening ceremony.

The US defence department has sent a delegation led by Xanthi Carras, China Country Director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.

This year's forum takes place at an awkward time for China when it is without a defence minister, whose main role is to engage with foreign militaries.

On Tuesday, Beijing sacked its defence minister Li Shangfu but did not name a replacement. Reuters reported last month that Li, who has been missing for two months, was investigated for corruption.

Chinese military leaders more senior than the defence minister have filled in for Li. State media reported that Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, ranked number two and three in the military, separately held bilateral meetings with the defence ministers from Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam on Saturday.

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2023-10-29 06:48:00Z
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Singapore's vote in favour of UN resolution shows clear stand on Israel-Hamas conflict: Shanmugam - CNA

He acknowledged that there is a strong need and desire in the community to do something, but there are ways to do this constructively and by making Singapore's position known internationally.

He also added that people are entitled to express their views online, but they must not cross into incitement or hate speech against other religions and other races. 

Asked about posts by the Israeli embassy that could be advocating for a cause, Mr Shanmugam said: "We don't take lightly any foreign interference in our domestic policies. We expect any ambassador or embassy to respect the way things are done in Singapore."

LOCAL HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

Mr Shanmugam told the media that Humanity Matter's relief supplies packing session on Sunday was the second humanitarian event that he has attended in two days. 

The first was the launch of a month-long campaign in Nee Soon to collect supplies and donations to help people in Gaza.

Mr Shanmugam said that seeing over 100 volunteers on Sunday come together regardless of race, language or religion showed a strong desire in the community to help. 

"This is unique about Singapore. Everyone comes together to help even though they know most of the help goes towards Muslims in Gaza. They need help, we do what we can," he said. 

The relief supplies packed on Sunday included 10,000 packs of intravenous fluids and infusion sets, 5,000 collapsible jerry cans, painkillers and vitamins. 

The relief cargo, with a value of S$215,000, is scheduled to be airlifted on Oct 31 to Cairo, Egypt, and later transferred via land to Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

This article was originally published in TODAY.

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2023-10-29 08:08:00Z
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Israel presses ground campaign against Hamas in 'second stage' of Gaza war - The Straits Times

JERUSALEM - Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the second phase of a three-week-old war aimed at crushing the Palestinian militant group.

Gaza's besieged residents faced a near-total communications and Internet blackout as Israel's warplanes dropped bombs and its troops and armour pushed into the Hamas-ruled enclave, with Israeli military chiefs signalling they were gearing up for an expanded ground offensive.

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu warned Israelis to expect a "long and hard" campaign but stopped short of calling the current incursions an invasion. Some of US President Joe Biden's aides have advised Israeli counterparts to hold off on an immediate all-out assault, US officials have said.

Even as initial ground operations appeared limited for now, Mr Netanyahu pledged to spare no effort to free the more than 200 hostages, including Americans and other foreigners, held by Hamas.

"This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear - to destroy Hamas' governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home," Mr Netanyahu told reporters.

"We are only at the start," he said. "We will destroy the enemy above ground and below ground."

Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza for three weeks since the Islamist group Hamas' devastating Oct 7 attack. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in the deadliest day of the nation's 75-year history, Israeli authorities said.

Western countries have generally backed what they say is Israel's right to self-defence. But there has been a mounting international outcry over the toll from the bombing and growing calls for a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid to reach Gaza civilians and ease the humanitarian crisis.

Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million people, say 7,650 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign to obliterate the Iran-backed militants.

President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority governs parts of the occupied West Bank while Hamas rules Gaza, said, “Our people in the Gaza Strip are facing a war of genocide and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world.”

With many buildings reduced to rubble and shelter hard to find, Gazans are short of food, water, fuel and medicines. Their plight got worse from Friday night when phone and internet services were cut - followed by heavy bombing through the night. The communications outage persisted into Sunday.

"God help anyone under the rubble," said one Gaza journalist, who spent a terrifying night in a building stairway as bombs fell and Israeli forces appeared to exchange fire with Palestinian fighters.

Israel's chief military spokesperson declined to say whether Israel was behind the telecommunications blackout in Gaza but said it would do what it needed to protect its forces.

Israel sent troops and tanks into Gaza on Friday night, focusing on infrastructure including the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas, the Israeli military said. It provided no details on the size of the deployment.

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2023-10-28 23:06:23Z
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Two Singaporean men among three arrested for murder in Johor Bahru - The Straits Times

JOHOR BAHRU – The police have apprehended three individuals believed to be involved in the murder of a 25-year-old Malaysian man.

Johor Bahru South Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat said that the suspects, who are in their 20s, were arrested at about 5.30am on Friday.

“At 3.41am on Friday, we received information from the public about a fight involving sharp objects that had occurred in the Johor Bahru area, which resulted in the death of a local man.

“Based on preliminary investigation, we found stab marks on the victim’s chest, stomach, ribcage, shoulder, and back as well as wounds on his fingers and cheek.

“We are still investigating the cause of the fight,” he said in a statement.

He added that the police later detected the three suspects in a car at Jalan Tanjung Puteri in Johor.

“While attempting to locate them, we found a suspicious car. When the police tried to make further checks on the vehicle, the driver sped off until Jalan Tun Dr Ismail before losing control and skidding. The car crashed into two other vehicles and the front gate of Istana Besar.”

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2023-10-28 04:58:38Z
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Ground battles rage in Gaza after Israel escalates bombing - CNA

"We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there," it said on X, formerly Twitter.

Lynne Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, also stressed on X that "hospitals & humanitarian operations can't continue without communications".

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, whose inlaws are trapped in Gaza, voiced alarm at the communications shutdown.

"Telecommunications have been cut. We can't get through to our family who have been trapped in this war zone for almost 3 weeks," he wrote on X.

"We can only pray they survive the night."

"STOP THE WAR"

The reports of ground fighting came after the UN General Assembly called on Friday for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza.

The non-binding resolution received overwhelming support, with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions.

"Today the General Assembly declared a call: Stop the war," the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

It was also welcomed by Hamas, but it was harshly criticised by Israel and the United States for failing to mention Hamas, with Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan calling it an "infamy".

Washington had earlier said it supports a "humanitarian pause" so aid can get into Gaza.

Israel's bombardment has displaced more than 1.4 million people inside the crowded territory, according to the UN, even as supplies of food, water and power to Gaza have been almost completely cut off.

And Israel has blocked all deliveries of fuel, saying it would be exploited by Hamas to manufacture weapons and explosives.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that misery was "growing by the minute".

"I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies," Guterres said.

"Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."

"NOTHING MORE THAN CRUMBS"

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has cautioned that "many more will die" in Gaza from catastrophic shortages.

"People in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege," said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.

A first tranche of critically needed aid was allowed in last weekend, but only 74 trucks have crossed since then. The UN says an average of 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the conflict.

"These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference," Lazzarini said.

Between the bombardments and the fuel shortages, 12 of Gaza's 35 hospitals have been forced to close, and UNRWA said it has had to "significantly reduce its operations".

Israel's military accused Hamas of using hospitals in Gaza as operations centres for directing attacks, an allegation Hamas swiftly denied.

The growing toll in Gaza has spurred demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and across the Muslim world, but also in a number of Western countries.

Late Friday, hundreds of people were arrested when police broke up a large demonstration of mostly Jewish New Yorkers who had taken over the main hall of Grand Central station to protest Israel's bombardment of Gaza and demanding a ceasefire.

Violence has also risen sharply in the occupied West Bank since the Oct 7 attacks, with more than 100 Palestinians killed and nearly 2,000 wounded, according to the UN

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2023-10-28 07:12:00Z
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