UN humanitarians prepared for fallout from strikes in Middle East

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- With strikes in the Middle East inflicting civilian casualties, damage to infrastructure and the displacement of people, UN humanitarians said Monday their teams are ready to respond.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the risk of humanitarian fallout is growing rapidly, and civilians must be protected.

OCHA underscored the need for aid workers to operate safely and that it is prepared to scale up in the region where needed, but unimpeded access, security guarantees, and funding will determine how effectively the UN can respond.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that because of contingency planning, the United Nations was prepared for the attacks launched Saturday by Israel and the United States on Iran.

"What is particularly worrying, as well, is the closure of airspace," he said. "The UN has humanitarian hubs in the Gulf, notably in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). A lot of our humanitarian goods move through that, so it could very well have an impact on our operations in Africa, in Asia and other parts of the world."

The spokesman said humanitarian colleagues were also worried about the impact on the world body's logistics operation.

"I mean, the UN has a tremendous logistics operation, not only humanitarian, as well as peacekeeping, and when critical waterways are closed, when airspace is closed, it could have an impact pretty quickly," he said.

OCHA said that in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli authorities closed all crossings, including Rafah, and suspended humanitarian movements in and near areas where their troops remain deployed and postponed planned rotations of international humanitarian staff. Medical evacuations and the return of people to Gaza have also been suspended.

The office said that people in Gaza rely on a steady flow of humanitarian and commercial goods from outside, given the limited storage capacity and destruction of livelihoods across the war-torn area.

It said its partners have been forced to ration fuel, prioritizing life-saving operations, although at reduced capacity, as local stocks dwindle. Services such as solid waste collection have been suspended. UN officials are working to secure the urgent resumption of fuel deliveries, which remains a top priority.

OCHA said that in some areas of Gaza City, reduced water production has left people with as little as two liters of drinking water per day. Prices of basic commodities are rising.

The office said that in the West Bank, Israeli forces have kept most checkpoints closed, affecting access to livelihoods, basic services and humanitarian operations.

"Since the weekend, people across the West Bank have been exposed to debris falling over civilian areas amid missile and interceptor fire; while residential areas in Gaza have been exposed to continued strikes from the air, land and sea," OCHA said.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it is deeply concerned about the impact on civilians and the potential for further displacement in the region.

"Many affected countries already host millions of refugees and internally displaced people," UNHCR said. "Further violence risks overwhelming humanitarian capacities and placing additional pressure on host communities."

The UN Children's Fund said it is deeply concerned by reports of strikes on Iran and across the region, illustrating the grave danger for children. There are also reports of schools being struck in Iran, including a girls' school in Minab in southern Iran. Many students were reportedly killed or injured. ■