Today's top news: Middle East, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory

#Middle East

UN humanitarian chief urges unhindered passage of humanitarian supplies through Strait of Hormuz

Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, today issued an urgent call for the unhindered and safe passage of humanitarian cargo through the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that any disruption would drive up the price of food, medicine and other life-saving supplies, hitting the most vulnerable people – in the region and far beyond – the hardest.

As Mr. Fletcher told the Security Council on Wednesday, we are already seeing the impact: In Gaza, the price of flour has risen by 270 per cent. Globally, shipping costs are up 16 per cent compared to this time last year, and disruptions to maritime routes could delay humanitarian shipments to crisis hotspots around the world by six months.

A report issued this week by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that the Strait of Hormuz, which it calls a “vital passage for global trade,” has seen ship transits through the passage come to a near halt – down from an average of 129 a day in February to just a handful daily since the start of the escalation. UNCTAD says that fuel costs are surging, which is driving up shipping costs across supply chains.

Mr. Fletcher stresses that without reliable humanitarian supply routes, millions of people risk losing access to life-saving assistance. Food, medicine and other critical supplies destined for operations in places including East Africa and sub-Saharan Africa could become harder to move and more expensive to deliver, at a time when famine already threatens countries like Somalia. Mr. Fletcher has raised this issue directly with key parties and is urging them to allow humanitarian cargo to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz so life-saving aid can continue to reach people whose lives depend on it.

#
Lebanon

Secretary-General launches $308 million appeal to help 1 million people  

Today in Lebanon, the Secretary-General launched an urgent humanitarian appeal for our humanitarian partners to support the Government-led response and rapidly scale up principled, coordinated assistance for a three-month period – from March to May 2026. The appeal, which prioritizes people with the most severe needs, calls for $308.3 million to address critical life-saving needs resulting from the renewed hostilities.

It targets up to 1 million people, including affected vulnerable Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants.

OCHA says response activities will be concentrated in areas most affected by the displacement orders and displacement from airstrikes, military operations and hard-to-reach areas.

The UN and humanitarians, together with authorities, are scaling up urgent assistance to displaced people. As of 12 March, 632,000 hot meals and 18,000 ready-to-eat kits have been distributed. Humanitarians have provided more than 382,000 litres of bottled water and over 1,700 cubic metres of clean water through water trucking. More than 211,000 litres of fuel have been supplied to sustain water services to reach nearly 700,000 people.

Government figures indicate that many people continue to be displaced. More than 822,000 people, including nearly 300,000 children, have registered as being displaced. And around 128,000 people are sheltering in nearly 600 collective sites across the country. The overall number of people displaced is likely higher. 

The United Nations reiterates the urgent need for immediate de-escalation. All parties must respect international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and healthcare facilities. Humanitarian access must be safe and sustained so assistance can reach people in need.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Humanitarian movements denied, blocking supplies from reaching Gazans in need

OCHA reports that, in the last 24 hours, all humanitarian movements to the Kerem Shalom crossing were denied – only one was allowed through. As a result, the UN has been able to collect fuel, but no other supplies.

The World Health Organization report that items they have offloaded at the crossing but have not been allowed to collect include nearly 50 intensive care unit beds and 170 pallets of medicines, including paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen.

According to the weekly schedule, there will be no offloading of incoming supplies at Kerem Shalom today and tomorrow.

Kerem Shalom remains the only operational crossing point into Gaza, as the Rafah and Zikim crossings have been shut since the start of the regional escalation. Through daily engagement with authorities, our colleagues continue to call for the opening of additional crossings and for more types of critical humanitarian and commercial supplies to be allowed to enter regularly, predictably and in sufficient volumes.

In the West Bank, movement restrictions tightened again yesterday in northern areas, following the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli forces, who stated that the two had tried to carry out a ramming and shooting attack against soldiers in Nablus governorate. Tightened checkpoint closures across the West Bank have undermined people’s access to services and workplaces as well as emergency operations.

Meanwhile, partners operating a toll-free hotline across the Occupied Palestinian Territory report a nearly 25 per cent rise in phone calls related to physical gender-based violence. This is alongside a rise in calls indicating suicidal thoughts, based on a comparison between the first two months of 2026 and the same period last year.

Partners provide counseling in all areas and, additionally, in Gaza, they are currently distributing dignity kits, which include menstrual hygiene management supplies, soap, shampoo and cleaning materials to roughly 15,000 women and girls.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support.