Seventeen international aid agencies have signed a joint statement calling on the European Union and member states to resume funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

Several European countries stopped funding the aid agency in January after Israel alleged UNRWA members were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack, Al Jazeera reported. 

“We urge the EU and Member States to take note that other aid agencies cannot replicate UNRWA’s central role in the humanitarian response in Gaza, and amidst the current crisis, many will struggle to even maintain their current operations without UNRWA’s partnership and support,” the statement published by the Norwegian Refugee Council read.