MIDDLE EAST LIVE 16 March: UN scales up aid as crisis deepens into third week
- UNAA
- Mar 15
- 5 min read
16th March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has entered its third week, with fighting continuing across the region and humanitarian needs rising. Oil prices continue to hover above $100 a barrel, while shipping disruptions and temporary flight suspensions are affecting travel and supply chains. Despite mounting challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency aid, warning that displacement, food insecurity and pressure on health systems are growing as the war's impact spreads.
HIGHLIGHTS
Human Rights Council debates Iran crisis: Independent experts told the Council that Iranian civilians are caught between external military strikes and internal repression, urging full respect for international law.
Humanitarian response expands across the region: UN agencies continue scaling up assistance as displacement and humanitarian needs rise across Lebanon, Iran and neighbouring countries.
Afghan border health campaign for returnees: WHO is delivering health awareness campaigns and hygiene supplies to families arriving at Iran-Afghanistan border crossings to help prevent infectious disease outbreaks.
UN peacekeepers come under fire in Lebanon: UNIFIL reported patrols were fired upon in southern Lebanon yesterday, warning that attacks on peacekeepers violate Security Council resolution 1701 and may constitute a war crime.
Continued escalation along Lebanon-Israel ‘Blue Line’
UN peacekeepers report continued escalation along the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, with rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes exchanged between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Peacekeepers have also observed Israeli troop concentrations near the Blue Line and ground incursions up to five kilometres into Lebanese territory, alongside clashes in areas including Khiam.
UNIFIL remains on the ground monitoring developments and helping civilians reach safety, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies are scaling up assistance across Lebanon. UN agencies and partners have delivered more than 800,000 hot meals, along with shelter supplies, hygiene kits and clean water for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, while attacks on healthcare facilities continue to rise.
Dust storm damages shelters in Gaza
In Gaza, UN agencies warn that conditions remain extremely difficult for civilians. Over the weekend, a powerful dust storm swept through the Strip, damaging or destroying shelters and belongings belonging to more than 600 families.
Relief agencies are providing emergency shelter, food and hygiene supplies to those affected, but needs remain severe, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Many displaced people are sleeping outdoors without adequate shelter, while worn-out tents have deteriorated after repeated storms. UN agencies and partners also warn that more than half of Gaza’s families are burning waste to cook food, highlighting the urgent need for regular deliveries of cooking gas and other supplies.
Healthcare update
Meanwhile, only two out of every five health service points are currently operating, most only partially.
The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday collected 15 intensive care unit beds it had offloaded at the Kerem Shalom/Kerem Abu Salem crossing. The beds will be delivered to hospitals to help boost ICU capacity.
The collection had been delayed due to the suspension of humanitarian movements at the crossing last week.
Rising food and fertilizer costs signal wider global impact
Staying with the far-reaching impacts of the crisis, the UN food security agency warns that the conflict in the Persian Gulf is beginning to ripple through global food systems.
According to a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), rising energy prices linked to the conflict have already pushed fertilizer costs sharply higher, with urea prices in Europe increasing by nearly 20 per cent in early March.
Because fertilizer production depends heavily on natural gas, FAO warns that prolonged instability could keep global fertilizer prices 15-20 per cent higher in the first half of the year, raising agricultural costs and food prices worldwide.
The agency also cautioned that if the crisis continues, remittance flows from Gulf economies could decline, affecting millions of families in developing countries who rely on income sent home by migrant workers.
Middle East conflict highlights global risks of fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief warns
The escalating conflict in the Middle East is once again exposing the risks of global reliance on fossil fuels, according to the UN’s top climate official.
Speaking at the Green Growth Summit in Brussels, Simon Stiell, the head of UNFCCC, warned that geopolitical crises and wars are driving energy price volatility worldwide.
“War in the Middle East has sent oil and gas prices soaring,” he said, adding that economies, households and businesses remain vulnerable to geopolitical shocks as long as they depend heavily on fossil fuel imports.
Mr. Stiell stressed that expanding renewable energy offers a more secure and stable alternative.
UN ‘blue helmets’ deliver food aid to displaced families in southern Lebanon
UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL have delivered more than 13 tons of food and relief supplies to support families displaced by the fighting in southern Lebanon.
Italian peacekeepers handed over the aid – including packaged food, medicines and hygiene kits – to local authorities in Tyre, where more than 13,000 displaced people are sheltering in facilities managed by the authorities.
The assistance comes as escalating hostilities along the Blue Line – which separates Lebanon and Israel – continue to drive large-scale displacement, with Lebanese authorities estimating that hundreds of thousands have fled homes in southern areas since early March.
Middle East conflict straining global food supply chains: WFP
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the crisis in the Middle East is putting additional pressure on already fragile food systems. Displacement, disrupted trade routes and rising fuel costs are driving up the price of moving food and other supplies.
War-risk insurance premiums and freight rates have surged by 15-20 per cent, the agency says, increasing the cost of delivering humanitarian aid.
Despite the challenges, WFP is scaling up emergency operations to support vulnerable families in Lebanon, Gaza, Afghanistan and other crisis-affected areas.
Iranian people’s plight in the spotlight
Earlier today we heard from independent investigators at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.
Sara Hossain, head of the fact-finding mission on Iran, told the HRC that three weeks of Israeli and US strikes have resulted in “mounting reports of civilian casualties, including children”.
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