ISTANBUL

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Thursday that he urged Israel to expand access to humanitarian aid to "alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians" in Gaza.

During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Balakrishnan said he also conveyed "Singapore’s longstanding support for a negotiated two-State solution... as the only viable option to achieve a comprehensive, just and durable solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said a statement on the US social media company Facebook.

While visiting Ramallah, Balakrishnan also witnessed the handover of Singapore’s donation of $500,000 to the World Food Programme to "support its vital work in providing food assistance to civilians in Gaza."

"Singapore will also continue to support the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s capacity-building efforts through our Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP)," he said, explaining Singapore's aim to roll out two additional courses in 2026 on the digital economy and digital entrepreneurship as part of the ETAP.

"We hope these courses will be relevant to the PA as they prepare for eventual statehood," he said.

Balakrishnan visited Palestine and Israel from Monday to Thursday.

The Israeli army has killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000 others in a brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The assault came to a halt under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.