UN expands Mideast aid as hostilities persist in Lebanon, Gaza

Amid ongoing hostilities, relief efforts intensified across the Middle East, hindered by mass displacements in Lebanon and access challenges in Gaza, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

Over 2,360 Iranian deaths since February 28 strike

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated $12 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Tuesday to support humanitarian efforts in Iran.

OCHA said the authorities in Tehran reported that from February 28, when the Israeli-U.S. bombing of Iran began, to April 8, when a fragile ceasefire was put in place, more than 2,360 deaths were recorded, including 257 women and 220 children, along with tens of thousands of injuries. The atrocities severely strained trauma care, burn management, and primary health services.

The Israeli-US strikes also damaged homes, schools, health facilities, care homes, humanitarian warehouses, water, energy, transport systems, and other critical infrastructure nationwide, including disruptions of essential services.

OCHA states that although the ceasefire has reduced insecurity, widespread destruction, rubble, and explosive or toxic remnants of war still obstruct access to basic services and impede rescue and response efforts. The crisis covers a large geographic area, with especially severe effects in densely populated regions.

The office stated that CERF funding for Iran will support life-saving activities, and where possible, response efforts will be carried out through local partners, aligned with large-scale initiatives led by the government.

Higher Lebanon humanitarian needs

In Lebanon, OCHA reported that increasing casualties and ongoing hostilities are escalating humanitarian needs nationwide. The Ministry of Public Health stated that since March 2, over 2,100 people have been killed and more than 6,900 injured, while the Israeli invasion has displaced over 1.2 million people.

"Across southern and eastern Lebanon, dozens of locations are being hit daily by strikes," the office said. "Reports indicate that at least 35 villages in the south were struck yesterday (on Tuesday), with extensive damage to residential areas."

OCHA is especially concerned about the situation in the Bint Jbeil district in Nabatieh governorate, with reports of armed clashes since Monday further restricting civilian movement and limiting access to essential services and humanitarian aid.

The UN Refugee Agency and others reported reaching more than 90,000 displaced people across 448 collective shelters and within host communities with psychosocial support and other protection services. They are focusing on those most at risk, including families experiencing repeated displacement, children, and people with disabilities.

"As the situation continues to deteriorate, the United Nations continues to call for immediate de-escalation, full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians; sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access; and more funding," OCHA said.

Impediments to Gaza aid work

In Gaza, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver assistance despite ongoing impediments.

The UN aid agency for Palestine refugees, known as UNRWA, reported being forced to reduce the operating hours of the electrical generators at its facilities in the first week of April, as they neared critical levels of mechanical failure.

"The facilities provide a range of services to vulnerable people," OCHA said. "The UN and its humanitarian partners need additional approvals to bring in much-needed spare parts and lubricants into Gaza to avoid further disruptions."

Asked during a regular briefing whether generator spare parts were prevented from entering Gaza because they were considered dual-use, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that was the case in the past and that concerns had been raised.

"What we're trying to tell the Israeli authorities is that these are necessary parts in order for us to keep our facilities functioning," Haq said.

OCHA stated that its partners continue to deliver preventive and therapeutic nutrition services to children. Last month, they screened over 72,000 children and identified about 2,700 with acute malnutrition, providing thousands with ready-to-use therapeutic food.

"In the first week of this month, partners working on child protection organized counselling and recreational activities for about 4,700 children," the office said. "These activities help girls and boys cope with ongoing displacement and dire humanitarian conditions."