SAF medical team in Egypt caring for Gaza civilian casualties

SINGAPORE: A two-member medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployed to Egypt has begun administering medical care to civilian casualties from Gaza.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), in a Facebook post on Monday (22 January), shared information about the deployment.

The team comprises Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Nazirul Hannan Abdul Aziz, a specialist in emergency medicine, and Military Expert 3 Jimmy Woo Ying Ming, specializing as an operating theatre scrub nurse and in perioperative nursing.

They arrived in Egypt on 18 January.

According to the post, the medical team has been offering assistance at Egypt’s El Arish port on the FS Dixmude, a landing helicopter dock operated by the French Armed Forces.

The FS Dixmude is equipped with state-of-the-art hospital facilities and has been actively involved in treating casualties from Gaza.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, in his Facebook post on Monday, highlighted that LTC (Dr) Nazirul and ME3 Woo wasted no time in commencing their duties upon reaching Egypt.

In an earlier post on 19 January, Minister Ng emphasized that this deployment is part of Singapore’s commitment to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Nazirul, as conveyed in the Ministry of Defence’s statement, expressed that he and ME3 Woo have been collaborating closely with the French medical team to deliver essential medical care, encompassing initial stabilization and wound management.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to be part of the larger effort in supporting the humanitarian assistance for Gaza,” he said.

Singaporeans rally for Palestinian humanitarian relief

In November 2023, a Republic of Singapore Air Force plane transported 46 SAF personnel, comprising pilots, aircrew, engineers, and army security personnel, along with essential supplies such as medicine, sanitation items, and food for civilians in Gaza to Egypt.

The delivered supplies were handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent, responsible for distributing them among the civilian population.

In addition to the efforts of governmental agencies, the Singaporean community has demonstrated deep concern for the challenges faced by the Palestinian people.

In October last year, Sheng Siong Supermarket’s CEO, Lim Hock Chee, donated S$200,000 to ‘Humanitarian Relief for Gaza,’ led by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation.

Furthermore, Singaporean activist Gilbert Goh, the founder of Love Aid Singapore, is currently in Egypt actively engaged in humanitarian efforts.

He is providing essential food aid to the affected regions through donations from compassionate Singaporeans.

Gaza death toll surpasses 25,000 in ongoing Israeli assault

The death toll in Gaza due to Israel’s assault has now exceeded 25,000, as reported by the Ministry of Health in the territory.

The toll of the Israeli assault includes at least 62,681 wounded individuals, according to Palestinian authorities.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israel for the “heartbreaking” deaths of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Approximately 85% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, with thousands seeking refuge in UN-run camps under dire conditions.

The UN has reported “famine-like” conditions in Gaza, where one in four of the 2.3 million population faces extreme hunger.

However, the delivery of aid has been severely hampered by ongoing fighting and stringent Israeli restrictions on shipments.

The UN also highlighted that women and children are the most significant victims in this conflict.

The Israeli government claimed that the bombardment toward Gaza was initiated in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October, resulting in at least 1,139 casualties, and over 200 hostages were taken by Palestinian armed groups.