A Palestinian couple in Gaza named their newborn daughter "Singapore" on October 16, 2025, in gratitude to Love Aid Singapore, the NGO led by activist Gilbert Goh that provided crucial food assistance to the mother throughout her pregnancy during the war-induced famine.
Professor Tommy Koh, special adviser at NUS Institute of Policy Studies, praised the gesture on October 19 as his "happy story of the day," while netizens highlighted Gilbert Goh's two-year relief work in Gaza that inspired the family's naming decision, with the 2.7 kg baby becoming the first Palestinian child named after the city-state.
Love Aid Singapore, operating without government funding, has raised approximately S$6.2 million entirely from Singaporean donations to establish three food kitchens, two polyclinics, and three tent schools across northern and southern Gaza since the conflict began.
The baby's father, Hamdan Hadad, who works as a cook at Love Aid's kitchen, stated "I really want to name her Singapore because I really love them," explaining how the organization's meals helped his wife survive the humanitarian crisis that has killed tens of thousands since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.
While Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan acknowledged in September that he "cannot attest to what happens once it gets into Gaza" regarding official aid, Gilbert Goh told ABC News that his grassroots initiative demonstrates how "Singapore is small, we are generous, we are very focused" in delivering direct humanitarian impact.
