Sympathy for Palestine surges in Singapore amid heightened Israel-Gaza conflict
More and more people in Singapore are showing concern over the killing of civilians in Gaza ever since Israel launched its latest military operation on Tuesday.
A Facebook page called “Singaporeans Stand with Palestine”, which was created in 2010, saw a surge of up to 10,000 new likes just this week, in a sign of rising concern about the deaths in the war-torn strip.
The death toll in Gaza has shot up to close to 90 as of Friday as Israel’s military regime presses on.
“To call the situation in Gaza, Palestine a 'war' is an utmost disrespect to the Palestinians. The term 'war' denotes two opposing parties (often at close military strength) fighting it out with each other,” said a Facebook user in one of the more popular posts on the page, which got over 600 Likes.
Another user’s comment, “Palestine, we stand with you” got over 1,000 Likes.
According to a media report, Israel has no plans for a ceasefire and that their officials seemed to have hinted on a possible invasion by ground forces.
Using popular hashtags such as #SaveGaza, #PrayforGaza and #SavePalestine, many people in Singapore have flocked to social media, flooding newsfeeds with posts relating to their concerns over the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza due to Israeli strikes.
Some have changed their Facebook profile cover photos to show support for those in Gaza and share political commentaries and news about the conflict on their profiles.
Singapore Facebook user Sarah Bagharib who had shared a few posts on the Gaza conflict this week said to Yahoo Singapore, “One can tell when something is outrightly wrong and blatantly evil…I’m concerned for oppressed communities – those who are suffering and reaching out for help but little has been done or rather efforts have been inadequate to help them.”
“I don’t think more and more people are only showing concern now. I think it has always been a cause that mainly Muslim Singaporeans have been more vocal about,” the 24-year-old added.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shared the government’s concern on Thursday. It said in a statement, “We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence. The rocket attacks on Israel must cease immediately. At the same time, we call on Israel to exercise maximum restraint and do its utmost to prevent the loss of innocent lives. All sides must urgently find ways to de-escalate the situation, work towards a ceasefire and ensure the safety and security of all civilians.”
Singapore is not the only country showing concerns over the conflict.
According to Al Jazeera, people from many Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Israel for its airstrikes that are taking place as Muslims in Gaza observe the holy month of Ramadhan.
Communities such as the ones in the UK have shown their concern and support for Palestine through a “Palestine Solidarity Campaign” Facebook group.
Other world leaders have also shared their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A US state department spokesperson reportedly said, “No country should be expected to stand by while rocket attacks from a terrorist organisation are launching into their country and impacting innocent civilians.”
The United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly said rocket attacks from Gaza are “unacceptable” and “condemn” the rising number of civilian lives lost in Gaza.
