The United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) will open an office in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, urging Muslim countries to give the agency more support after Israel banned it, Reuters reports.

Addressing foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Erdogan said opening an Ankara UNRWA office would deepen Turkiye’s support for the agency.

“We must not allow UNRWA, which plays an irreplaceable role in terms of taking care of Palestinian refugees, to be paralysed by Israel. We expect our organisation and each member state to provide financial and moral support to UNRWA to thwart Israel’s games,” Erdogan said.