The development follows a weekend of escalating Israeli and US attacks on Iran, counterattacks by Iranian forces across Israel and explosions in several Gulf states, along with Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
heavy toll
In its latest update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said 294 people had been killed in Lebanon and more than 1,000 wounded in the first eight days of the war.
On Saturday, March 7, 41 people were killed in a single operation by Israeli forces in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Sheet, which also left dozens injured, OCHA said, citing Lebanese authorities.
In addition to “intensified airstrikes on multiple governorates” in Lebanon, the office also noted that Israeli evacuation orders had been reissued for the third time since the war began, covering all areas south of the Litani River, and the second time for Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Civilian toll increases
Over the weekend, Israeli health authorities reported that around 2,000 people have been injured in Israel since the conflict broke out on Saturday, February 28; One person was also killed when a missile landed in central Israel on Monday.
Iranian authorities have said at least 1,330 civilians had been killed in the war amid continued Israeli and US attacks, while on Monday authorities in Bahrain said more than 30 people had been injured by an Iranian drone strike early on Monday, while Qatari officials condemned the killing of two civilians in Saudi Arabia.
Increasing needs
Echoing the international community’s deep concerns about the impact of the ongoing war on civilians, top UN aid official Tom Fletcher warned against broader secondary impacts in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan “where the needs were already great”.
Added to that, the focus on existing crises like Sudan, South Sudan and Ukraine is falling “even further down the list,” the emergency relief chief noted, along with continued disregard for international law and institutions, including the UN, that were created to prevent conflict.
Strait of Hormuz crisis
As the rapid rise in fuel prices at the pumps on Monday, linked to higher costs per barrel of oil, reflected the deep economic uncertainty caused by the war, UN agencies also highlighted “severe disruptions in the global supply chain”Affecting the maritime transport, energy and fertilizer markets.
Attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have virtually halted trade along the narrow canal, which carries almost a fifth of the world’s oil shipments, along with large volumes of commercial goods.
On Friday, at least four sailors were killed and three seriously injured in the Strait of Hormuz when their ship was attacked.
Meanwhile, drone attacks on Oman’s ports have also raised concerns – and costs – for charter traffic heading there.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), around 20,000 seafarers were still stranded in the Persian Gulf.
“The conflict is already having immediate impacts on food security in the Middle East”said the UN World Food Program (WFP), which explained that a significant part of the world’s fertilizer supply transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Any disruption there risks reducing availability, reducing crop yields and therefore increasing global food prices,” he said.
A satellite photograph shows the strategically important shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz.
Food safety concerns
The UN agency also highlighted the already high levels of food insecurity in Lebanon before the war, as well as in Iran, where households have “limited capacity to absorb further shocks.”
In Gaza, sharp increases in food prices were triggered by the closure of key aid crossing points from Israel, the WFP continued, adding that although the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing has since reopened, food prices remain high.
“Without consistent access, WFP could be forced to reduce food rations to just 25 percent of the daily needs of approximately 1.3 million people.. “The fragile gains made after the ceasefire risk being reversed without reliable humanitarian corridors,” he said.
Faced with longer transit times and delays in humanitarian deliveries, the UN agency and its partners have increasingly used suppliers and transit corridors through Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, while making greater use of land routes between the United Arab Emirates and the eastern Mediterranean coastal region.
The WFP also noted that its humanitarian center in Dubai remains operational despite disruptions to flights and shipping.