The government on Tuesday declined to comment on why Cyprus was not among a group of more than 20 donor nations urging Israel to permit the full, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In total, the foreign ministers of 22 nations jointly signed the statement, calling on the Israeli government to “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity.”

Of Israel’s recent announcement of a new model for delivering aid into the Gaza Strip, the group said they would “not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect humanitarian principles.

“The UN has raised concerns that the proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required. It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives. Humanitarian aid should never be politicised, and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.”

The signatories went on to stress that they remain “committed to meeting the acute needs we see in Gaza”.

The joint statement was signed by EU officials and the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Israel has kept all crossings into Gaza closed to food, medical and humanitarian aid since March 2, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said over the weekend that Tel Aviv would permit the entry of “a basic quantity of food” for Gaza’s population “to prevent the emergence of a hunger crisis.”

He said a famine could jeopardise the continuation of Operation Gideon’s Chariot – referring to a new phase of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza.

The donor nations’ statement also featured minor donors to Unrwa (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) – such as Latvia and Estonia.

The Cyprus Mail contacted the foreign ministry here asking why it did not co-sign the donors’ statement.

We did not receive a comment.

But, foreign ministry sources said Cyprus remains a donor to Unrwa.

The sources said that in 2024 Cyprus contributed or pledged $650,000 (€577,000) to Unwra.