Civilians face consequences across Middle East amid escalating crises: UN relief chief

UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher on Friday warned that civilians are facing consequences across the Middle East amid rapidly escalating crises.

"We're seeing these crises escalate rapidly with consequences that are out of control for those instigating the conflict," Fletcher told a daily press briefing.

He said that homes, hospitals and schools are being hit, noting that the UN Refugee Agency reported hundreds of thousands of people displaced and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) found over 190 children have been killed since the escalation, including more than 180 in Iran, seven in Lebanon, three in Israel and one in Kuwait.

"We're seeing an increasingly deadly alliance of technology and killing with impunity," he said. "We're seeing a sustained attack against the systems and laws meant to restrain us from our worst instincts and from reckless warfare."

Fletcher echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's earlier remarks in a brief statement on Friday calling for de-escalation, immediate cessation of hostilities, and genuine dialogue and negotiations, in line with the UN Charter.

The relief chief said the humanitarian community is fully mobilized in response to the crisis.

"I'm in close contact with our teams in Iran and throughout the wider region, and we're distributing life-saving help, including food, medicine and shelter," said Fletcher.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in Iran, heavy air strikes were reported in the capital Tehran and other densely populated areas into the early hours of Friday.

OCHA said the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) reported Thursday that more than 3,600 civilian sites, including more than 3,000 residential units and hundreds of commercial centers, have reportedly been hit.

The IRCS reported that 24 medical centers have been damaged since the escalation began, including several hospitals in Tehran on Thursday. The World Health Organization verified 13 attacks affecting health care as of Thursday.

UNICEF reported on Thursday that at least 20 schools have been damaged.

In Lebanon, OCHA said widespread displacement orders from Israeli authorities and airstrikes across the country put affected civilians under increasing strain.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that as of Thursday night, more than 100 people have died and hundreds of others have been injured.

OCHA said its humanitarian partners, working closely with national and local authorities, scaled up assistance in shelters and host communities, distributing more than 120,000 meals, mattresses, blankets, sleeping mats, solar lamps and jerry cans.

The office said that Syrian authorities reported more than 30,000 people crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the past week.

UN teams staffed border crossings, monitoring movements and coordinating with the Syrian government and other partners to provide assistance where needed.

"OCHA reminds all parties that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times, in accordance with international humanitarian law," the office said.

In a fallout of the war in Iran, OCHA said only the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing into Gaza remained operational as of Thursday, as airstrikes, shelling and shooting continued within the Gaza Strip.

Medical evacuations, the return of residents from abroad and the rotation of humanitarian staff remain suspended, said the office.

"Fuel must be allowed into Gaza consistently, its delivery facilitated safely and without interruption to keep humanitarian operations and essential services -- hospitals, water and sewage systems and bakeries -- running," OCHA said.

In the West Bank, the office said that the increased closure of Israeli checkpoints and road gates since the regional escalation continues to restrict people's access to services and workplaces. Emergency services and humanitarian work were also affected. Operations and violence by Israeli forces and settlers continued, resulting in casualties, damage and displacement.

OCHA said that Palestinians in the West Bank must be protected and perpetrators of violence must be held accountable. ■