SINGAPORE – A fund-raiser to provide aid for communities in Gaza has raised $4,614,283 as at Wednesday, less than two weeks after it was launched.

The amount is the highest raised by the Rahmatan Lil Alamin (Blessings to all) Foundation, or RLAF.

The total will be even higher after the local charity said in a statement on Friday that the collection period has been extended to Nov 17, as the Commissioner of Charities has granted an extension of permit for the fund raising.

The fund-raiser had earlier been slated to end on Oct 31.

The previous record amount the RLAF had collected in a single fund-raiser for humanitarian aid was $2.2 million in March 2023, for victims of the earthquake that struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria.

The ongoing fund-raiser for communities in Gaza was launched on Oct 19 in collaboration with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The funds raised will be used to provide aid, including in the form of healthcare supplies and shelter, for those affected by the Israel-Hamas war.

The latest war in the decades-old conflict began when Hamas fighters broke through the border on Oct 7. Israel says the militants killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 240 hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year history.

Israel’s ensuing bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people has killed at least 9,061 people, according to Gaza health authorities. Some 1.4 million Palestinians have also been displaced from their homes.

Members of the public can make donations to RLAF via PayNow (UEN: 200910530ZRLA, indicate “GAZA2023” in remarks) or bank transfer (OCBC Bank: 601313315001), or by mailing a cheque to RLAF or the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.

RLAF has organised fund-raising activities in the wake of more than 40 natural disasters around the world.

In 2014, it raised nearly $1.2 million for people affected by conflict in Gaza, after a month-long drive.