The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday warned that the escalating war in the Middle East could plunge an additional 45 million people into acute hunger if hostilities persist through June.
This surge would drive global food insecurity to an all-time record, potentially causing the most significant disruption to humanitarian operations since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supply chain and shipping disruptions
WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, speaking in Geneva, stated that relief operations are already suffering from increased costs and extended shipping times.
The violence, now in its third week following strikes involving Israel, the United States, Iran, and allied groups, has seen WFP shipping costs rise by 18 per cent.
Skau explained that thousands of delivery trucks are now operating on significantly more expensive fuel due to rising oil prices, which reduces the agency’s ability to purchase food or provide cash assistance to beneficiaries.
The agency has already been forced to reduce food rations for those facing famine in Sudan. Furthermore, it can currently support only one in four acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan, which remains the world’s most severe malnutrition crisis.
A major concern cited by the WFP is the “virtual standstill” of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a quarter of the world’s fertiliser supply passes. This disruption occurs as sub-Saharan Africa enters its planting season.
Skau warned that the resulting spike in food and fuel costs could price millions of families out of staple foods, particularly in import-dependent nations across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Mass displacement in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the humanitarian situation has reached a critical point.
Imran Riza, the UN’s top aid official in the country, reported that approximately one million people – nearly 20 per cent of the total population – have been forced to flee their homes.
While 132,700 individuals are currently staying in 622 shelters, about 70 per cent of the displaced are not in formal shelters, creating immense challenges for aid workers.
Riza noted that military operations have made it difficult to reach vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly who cannot physically move or fear losing their homes.
He also highlighted a significant drop in regional support, stating that the “air bridge” of assistance previously provided by Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, is no longer active.
Concerns over international law
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has raised alarms regarding the legality of displacement orders issued by Israel.
OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan warned that these orders, which now cover broad swathes of Lebanese territory including regions between the Litani and Zahrani rivers, may amount to “forced displacement” prohibited under international law.
Al-Kheetan reported that Israeli airstrikes have destroyed entire residential buildings in dense urban areas, often killing multiple members of the same family.
He also noted that at least 16 medical staff have been killed recently, and displaced persons living in tents along the Beirut seafront have been hit by strikes. The OHCHR described rhetoric from Israeli officials threatening Lebanon with the same level of destruction seen in Gaza as “wholly unacceptable.”
These statements, combined with the expansion of ground incursions, continue to intensify fear and anxiety among the Lebanese population.
