Today's top news: Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela

#Lebanon

In Lebanon, UN’s top humanitarian official warns of deepening crisis

Speaking to the Security Council from Beirut, Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned today that the situation is deteriorating fast, with airstrikes and hostilities placing civilians at serious risk and deepening the humanitarian crisis in a country that is already at breaking point.

He warned that ongoing hostilities are cutting off communities, damaging key infrastructure and making it harder for people to reach safety and for aid to get through.

Fletcher said that from the people he met was very clear: “They want safety. They want dignity. They want this to stop.”

He added that many families are being forced to flee again and again, stressing that “displacement is not a solution, but a painful last resort.”

Fletcher urged Council members to act with urgency – to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access and prevent the situation from spiralling further.

He also put questions to them on what comes next, asking how they will protect civilians, respond to the scale of displacement and prevent further instability in Lebanon.

While in Beirut today, Fletcher met with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. He also visited a collective shelter, speaking with Lebanese and Syrian families who told him of their deep uncertainty, resilience stretched thin, and growing frustration at being unable to return home safely. Mr. Fletcher will continue his visit to Lebanon tomorrow and meet with the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri.

Meanwhile, the hostilities continue to take a heavy human toll. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, more than 1,200 people have been killed and nearly 3,700 injured since 2 March 2nd. Displacement is rising fast, with more than 1.1 million people now registered as displaced by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Daily life is being severely disrupted. In the Bekaa governorate, new Israeli displacement orders were issued for six villages, followed by airstrikes that destroyed key roads, bringing movement and supplies to a halt.

Humanitarian access is increasingly constrained. Damage to roads in Bekaa, combined with the destruction of bridges over the Litani River, is leaving parts of southern Lebanon nearly cut off. As routes are severed, people face growing isolation, with limited access to safety and basic services.

Despite these challenges, the United Nations and its partners continue to deliver aid. Since 2 March, 27 humanitarian movements have been facilitated, delivering food, hygiene kits and medical supplies, and enabling evacuations from hard-to-reach areas. The operating environment continues to severely limit the ability to reach those most in need.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Lebanon with urgent support. 

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

 UN facilitates return of evacuated Gaza children amid worsening conditions

OCHA says conditions in Gaza remain dire, with humanitarian partners continuing to deliver critical support.

Yesterday, the UN and partners facilitated the return of 11 toddlers through the Rafah crossing. These children were reunited with their families after having been medically evacuated from Al Shifa hospital as infants back in November 2023 – some while still in incubators.

Also yesterday, the World Health Organization and its partners supported the medical evacuation of 19 patients requiring treatment not available in Gaza.

OCHA stresses that the movement of people in and out of Gaza must take place safely, with dignity, and in full accordance with international humanitarian law.

Meanwhile, more people are suffering from skin diseases such as scabies, while rodents are infesting tents in search of food. Partners leading on sanitation are scaling up the distribution of hygiene kits in hotspot locations, but chemicals and pest control material are urgently needed.

The UN continues to call for the lifting of restrictions on items that will help address the needs of the vulnerable communities.

Turning to the West Bank, in a social media post today, the World Health Organization announced the establishment of Trauma Stabilization Points in several communities, such as in the town of Duma and the village of Atara, that had witnessed increased settler attacks.

The Trauma Stabilization Points provide wound care and bleeding control and other life-saving services.  This is particularly important as there have been instances where ambulances have been obstructed or delayed in providing urgent health care.

The UN reiterates its call for unimpeded access to health care across the Occupied Palestinian Territory and for the protection of health workers, health facilities and patients in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. 

#Syria

UN, partners rush aid as floods batter displacement sites

OCHA says that heavy rains across northern and eastern Syria since mid‑March have triggered widespread flooding, impacting communities and displacement sites in the governorates of Aleppo, Idleb, Ar‑Raqqa, Al‑Hasakeh and Deir‑ez‑Zor.

More than 19,000 people have been affected in Aleppo and Idleb alone, with over 3,400 shelters damaged and hundreds destroyed. In Al‑Hasakeh governorate, at least 6,000 people have been displaced after homes and camps were flooded.

Humanitarian partners, together with local authorities, are providing tents, blankets and other emergency support. Health teams are helping displaced families in Al‑Hasakeh city, and the districts of Quamishli and Al‑Malikiyyeh, where water contamination and exposure to the cold are serious concerns.

OCHA warns that access remains severely constrained. Flooded roads and damaged bridges, particularly in Deir‑ez‑Zor governorate, continue to hamper the delivery of aid. Authorities and humanitarian partners are working to re-open key routes, but more resources are urgently needed to scale up work to provide shelter, water and protection support and help communities facing growing losses to their livelihoods.

The UN Refugee Agency says escalating hostilities since late February have triggered a surge in people crossing from Lebanon into Syria. Syrian authorities say that more than 200,000 people – including more than 170,000 Syrians – have crossed into Syria through the three official border points.

#Sudan

Humanitarian needs spike as hostilities intensify and disease spreads

OCHA warns that worsening violence and displacement are pushing humanitarian needs to new levels.

In Blue Nile State, conflict is triggering new waves of displacement in March. Local sources indicate that at least 4,000 people have fled into Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, while others have been displaced within Blue Nile. The UN and its partners are scaling up their response, with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society providing hot meals to newly arrived families.

In Darfur, a new report by Médecins Sans Frontières highlights alarming levels of sexual violence against women and girls, both in conflict areas and in displacement sites. The findings point to widespread abuse, underscoring the urgent need to ensure accountability and increase medical and psychosocial support for survivors.

In North Kordofan State, measles cases are rising in displacement sites in El Obeid, the State capital, with hundreds of suspected cases reported in recent weeks. Humanitarians are providing water, health and nutrition services, with a vaccination campaign planned for April. However, the Humanitarian response is stymied by funding shortfalls, reduced water availability, new arrivals of displaced people and delays in approvals to set up new health services. 

OCHA welcomes today's announcement that the Adre border crossing from Chad will remain available through the end of June for humanitarian supplies and staff to move into Sudan.

Adre is a lifeline for millions of people in the Darfur region, as well as parts of Kordofan. Since 2024, more than 118,000 metric tons of vital aid – enough for more than 3 million people – have passed through this crossing point. 

Currently, the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people across Sudan, is just 16 per cent funded, with $461 million received so far.

#Venezuela

Water crisis deepens as 140,000 families left without supply

OCHA says that the water emergency in the northern state of Sucre has entered its third week.

An earthquake late last month triggered a landslide that blocked a major tunnel, leaving nearly 140,000 families without clean water. 

As repair efforts continue, humanitarian partners, together with the authorities, are providing people with water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts. 

Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization says half a million new vaccines arrived in Venezuela this week to sustain routine immunizations and prevent disruptions to essential services.

In the past four months, more than 2 million doses of vaccines for measles, rubella, mumps and polio have been delivered. More shots for yellow fever and rabies will arrive in the coming months. 

Funding remains a major challenge. This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan has received only 8 per cent – or $50 million – of the $632 million we need.