Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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March 9, 2026 Peace and security
UN agencies reported on Monday large-scale displacement of people across the Middle East, as well as soaring food and fuel prices that threaten to worsen hunger and suffering among the most vulnerable.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in Lebanon alone, nearly 700,000 people, including about 200,000 children, were forced to flee their homes.
In its latest update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 294 people have been killed and over a thousand injured in Lebanon in the first eight days of the latest Middle East war. Specifically, last Saturday, an Israeli operation in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Sheet killed over 40 people and injured nearly a thousand, OCHA reported, citing Lebanese authorities. For the third time since the war began, Israel has issued evacuation orders, covering all territory south of the Litani River and, for the second time, the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Civilian casualties
Israeli health authorities reported that approximately 2,000 people have been injured in Israel since the conflict began on February 28. One civilian was killed on Monday by a rocket strike in central Israel.
Iranian authorities have said at least 1,330 civilians have been killed in the country since the war began.
Bahraini authorities reported more than 30 wounded in an Iranian drone strike. Qatari officials reported the deaths of two civilians in Saudi Arabia.
Growing needs and "secondary impact"
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned of a "secondary impact" of the war on countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, "where needs are already enormous."
Fletcher added that the international community's attention to existing crises – in Sudan, South Sudan and Ukraine – is increasingly waning.
Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz
The profound economic uncertainty caused by the war is reflected in the soaring price of motor fuel, driven by the sharp rise in oil prices. UN agencies also point to serious global supply chain disruptions affecting shipping, the energy sector, and the fertilizer market.
Attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have virtually halted traffic through the narrow channel, which carries nearly a fifth of the world's oil supplies. On Friday, at least four sailors were killed and three were seriously injured in the Strait of Hormuz after their vessel was attacked. Drone strikes on an Omani port facility have driven up charter prices. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approximately 20,000 sailors remain stranded in the Persian Gulf.
"The conflict has a direct impact on food security in the Middle East," the World Food Programme (WFP) said, noting that a significant portion of the world's fertilizer supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Any disruptions threaten to reduce the availability of fertilizers, reduce crop yields, and, as a result, lead to higher global food prices," the agency emphasized.
Food security is under threat
WFP also recalled the high levels of food insecurity in Lebanon, which existed even before the war, and in Iran, where families have "limited capacity to withstand further shocks."
A sharp rise in food prices in Gaza was caused by the closure of key crossings for humanitarian aid from Israel. Although the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing has reopened, prices remain high.
"WFP will likely be forced to reduce food rations to 25 percent of the daily requirement for approximately 1.3 million people. Without reliable humanitarian corridors, the fragile gains associated with the ceasefire could be lost," the agency stated.
Faced with increasing transit times and delays for humanitarian supplies, WFP and its partners are increasingly using transit routes through Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, as well as expanding the use of overland routes between the UAE and the eastern Mediterranean.
WFP also noted that its humanitarian hub in Dubai continues to operate despite disruptions to air and shipping services.
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