SINGAPORE: Singapore’s former President Halimah Yacob, known for her advocacy on Palestinian rights, has once again spoken out against the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.
In a Facebook post published on 16 July, Halimah condemned what she described as the ongoing “carnage” inflicted on Palestinian civilians.
“No words to describe this continuing carnage except impunity. But we pray that our hearts are not hardened and we become desensitised to the death of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, which is not under Hamas. This is against international law,” she wrote.
She cited reports that around 60,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed by Israeli forces.
She also criticised tactics such as forced displacement and mass starvation, alleging that Palestinians have been pushed into “slivers of land in the south” as part of a broader plan to expel them from Gaza or confine them in what she termed a “concentration camp”.
“There’s no let-up,” she added.
In early July, Halimah had also condemned Israel’s attacks on Palestinians attempting to access humanitarian aid, calling the actions “inhumane”.
At the time, more than 400 people had reportedly been killed while trying to collect food and essential supplies since May.
Her latest remarks follow renewed reports of violence near aid sites in Gaza and escalating attacks in the occupied West Bank.
Nearly 900 Killed While Seeking Food in Gaza
On 15 July, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that nearly 900 Palestinians had been killed in recent weeks while attempting to access food in Gaza.
According to OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, 875 people had died as of 13 July, with 674 of them killed in the vicinity of aid sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US-Israeli-backed initiative that bypasses traditional humanitarian channels.
The remaining 201 victims were reportedly killed “on the routes of aid convoys or near aid convoys” managed by the UN or its partner organisations.
Killings linked to the controversial GHF hubs began shortly after the organisation started operating in southern Gaza on 27 May.
These operations employ private American security and logistics firms to deliver aid, circumventing the UN-led distribution system, which Israel has accused of allowing Hamas to divert aid—a claim Hamas denies.
GHF has denied that deaths occurred at its sites and has accused the UN of spreading misinformation.
The UN, however, has stood by its data and labelled the GHF’s model “inherently unsafe” and in violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
On 14 July, Israeli forces reportedly shelled and fired at Palestinians queuing at a GHF site in the As Shakoush area of northwestern Rafah.
Two people were killed and at least nine others injured, with casualties taken to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hospital in Rafah.
The hospital also received more than 130 patients on Saturday, most suffering from gunshot wounds.
All those who were responsive stated they had been attempting to access food when they were attacked.
UN: Violence Intensifies in the Occupied West Bank
At the same 15 July press briefing, OHCHR also warned of escalating violence by Israeli settlers and security forces in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
This includes the demolition of hundreds of homes and the forced mass displacement of Palestinians, contributing to the ongoing consolidation of Israel’s annexation of West Bank territory in violation of international law.
Since the start of Israel’s operation “Iron Wall” in the northern West Bank earlier this year, approximately 30,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced.
Israeli forces have fired live ammunition at unarmed Palestinians, including those attempting to return to their homes in the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams.
Al-Kheetan said Israeli forces have repeatedly used unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force, against Palestinians who posed no imminent threat to life.
The UN also recorded the highest number of Palestinians injured in a single month in the West Bank in over two decades, with June marking the peak.
OHCHR reported 757 settler attacks on Palestinians or their property since January—up 13 per cent from the same period in 2024.
Since the launch of operation “Iron Wall”, Israeli forces have issued demolition orders for about 1,400 homes.
“These large-scale demolitions, if not rendered absolutely necessary by military operations, violate Israel’s obligations as the occupying power,” Al-Kheetan said.
Since 7 October 2023, at least 2,907 Palestinians have been displaced due to demolitions, with a further 2,400 displaced due to settler violence—nearly half of them children.
Al-Kheetan warned that large parts of the West Bank are being emptied of their Palestinian population.
“Israel must immediately stop these killings, harassment and home demolitions across the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said.
“As the occupying power, Israel must take all feasible measures to ensure public order and safety.”
Since 7 October 2023, at least 964 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israeli forces and settlers.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel’s military operation on 7 October 2023 has reached 58,026, with at least 138,500 injured.
More than half of the fatalities are reported to be women and children.
The post Singapore’s former president Halimah Yacob condemns ‘continuing carnage’ in Gaza and West Bank appeared first on The Online Citizen.
