No happy new year for those hit by war; Singapore should do what it can to help: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE – As the world celebrates the new year, there are people in war-torn zones who are still suffering, said Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam.

Speaking at a New Year’s Eve event to pack relief supplies for civilians in Gaza, Mr Shanmugam noted that people in Sudan are also facing the worst humanitarian crisis globally, with millions displaced and cities destroyed.

“We say during this season, ‘season’s greetings, happy new year’. I think it’s not a very happy new year if you’re in Gaza right now, nor is it particularly happy if you’re in Ukraine or Sudan or Yemen,” the minister said. “We spare a thought for the people around the world who are suffering, and there’s a huge amount of suffering.”

Many parts of the world have also been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons, and Singapore should be thankful that it was spared, said Mr Shanmugam.

“We passed through the year despite its economic turbulence, and look forward to the new year in relative peace and calm compared to the rest of the world. So I think we should be grateful for that and, at the same time, do what we can to help others,” he added.

About 150 volunteers gathered at the Countdown with Compassion – Humanity Matters Gaza Relief Packing event on Dec 31, 2025, at the Charis Tabernacle, a church in Tanjong Katong.

The event was organised by inter-faith non-profit group Humanity Matters, which has held five such relief packing sessions since the start of the Israel-Palestine conflict in October 2023.

Volunteers packed 18 tonnes of relief supplies, including 60,000 packs of ready-to-eat rice porridge, red bean soup and green bean soup, as well as 3,000 collapsible jerry cans to collect and store drinking water.

The supplies will be shipped to Jordan in early January by Pacific International Lines (PIL), and then delivered to Gaza via land crossings or airdrops.

The goal is for the supplies to reach Gaza in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on Feb 18, 2026.

Worth $204,000 in total, the relief supplies are funded by public donations and the Singapore Government.

Singapore has contributed 11 tranches of

humanitarian aid for affected civilians in Gaza

since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, totalling over $25 million.

About 150 volunteers gathered at the Countdown with Compassion – Humanity Matters Gaza Relief Packing event on Dec 31 at the Charis Tabernacle, a church in Tanjong Katong.

ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

In the latest tranche announced on Dec 20, the Government would contribute $1 million as seed money to support public fund-raising efforts for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

In his speech at the event, Mr Shanmugam said 70,000 people in Gaza have been killed, about two million have been displaced, and about 80 per cent of people there face food insecurity.

Noting the recent October ceasefire, the minister said: “(It) brings some hope, but the situation is still very dire.”

The chairman of Humanity Matters, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, said the group will continue working with its overseas relief partners, such as the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, Egyptian Red Crescent Society and Palestinian Red Crescent Society, to assist affected civilians in Gaza.

Volunteers packed 18 tonnes of relief supplies, including 60,000 packs of ready-to-eat rice porridge, red bean soup and green bean soup.

ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Mr Shanmugam also touched on maintaining social cohesion amid recent events such as

vandalism at Praisehaven –

The Salvation Army on Christmas Day.

He noted that Singapore’s framework of prohibiting hate speech attacking race and religion has been strengthened over the years.

In his speech, the minister said seeing people of all backgrounds coming together to pack relief supplies illustrates the point that feeling for a fellow human being does not have to be bound within the framework of religion or race.

“Underlying it all (is) the sense and spirit of humanity, which is far more important,” he said.

The volunteers came from religious institutions, such as the Tabernacle Church and Missions, Bencoolen Mosque and the Singapore Taoist Mission, and included students from Tampines Meridian Junior College and staff from PIL.

About 30 volunteers and staff from the Tabernacle Church and Missions joined the event. The church’s senior pastor, Dr David Seah, said he wanted to bring people together to foster friendships across race and religion.

Mr Ahmad Zohree, a 44-year-old engineer at a diesel engine company, has volunteered with Humanity Matters for the past five years. He went to Egypt and Jordan in 2023 and 2024 to ensure the supplies were sent successfully to Gaza.

He said: “We have seen the stories online, on the news, that they are really in dire need. This is just a small part that I can do to help them.”

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