UN agencies say hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes, civilian casualties are rising, and global supply chains are being severely disrupted, with potentially far‑reaching economic consequences.
The UN Children’s Fund said nearly 700 000 people in Lebanon, including around 200 000 children, have now been displaced as Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah intensify. Many of those uprooted had already been forced from their homes during earlier escalations.
The UN humanitarian coordination office, reported that 294 people had been killed and more than 1 000 injured in Lebanon during the first eight days of the war. On March 7 alone, an Israeli operation in the town of Nabi Sheet killed 41 people and left dozens wounded. Israel has also reissued evacuation orders for communities south of the Litani River, covering the entire area for the third time since the conflict began.
Inside Israel, health authorities say around 2 000 people have been injured since February 28, while one person was killed by a missile strike on Monday. Iran has reported at least 1 330 civilian deaths amid intensified Israeli and US strikes. In Bahrain, more than 30 people were injured in an Iranian drone attack on Monday, and Qatar has condemned the killing of two civilians in Saudi Arabia.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned that the conflict is generating “secondary impacts” far beyond the immediate battlefield, worsening humanitarian needs in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also cautioned that protracted war risks diverting global attention and funding away from crises in Sudan, South Sudan and Ukraine.
Global supply chains are already being hit hard. Attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries nearly one‑fifth of the world’s oil, have brought shipping in the narrow channel to a near standstill. Four seafarers were killed and three injured in an attack on Friday, while drone strikes on Omani ports have further raised insurance and transport costs. The International Maritime Organisation says around 20 000 seafarers are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.
The World Food Programme warned that disruptions to fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz threaten global food security by reducing agricultural yields and pushing food prices higher.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
