Humanitarian crisis deepens across the Middle East region

An internally displaced Lebanese woman holds her son in the school where their family is sheltering in Chouf District, Lebanon. © Medair-Abdul Dennaoui

27 March 2026 - The war in the Middle East continues, with attacks causing further terror and suffering, deepening the humanitarian crisis across the region. In Geneva, diplomats at the Human Rights Council have been discussing the school strike in Iran’s Minab that killed more than 100 children. Stay with us for live updates on this and from UN agencies providing relief.

Key developments on Friday

• The UN highlights 'staggering' speed and scale of displacement in Lebanon 

• 1,900 people reported killed in Iran

• 150,000 cut off in southern Lebanon

• UN rights chief calls on US to publish findings on deadly school attack in Iran

• Aid shipments back on track from regional UN hub

Production team: Daniel Johnson in Geneva, Daniel Dickinson in London, and Ana Carmo in New York. 

Ongoing Iranian attacks on Gulf States have focused attention and fears on the region’s desalination plants which provide drinking water to millions.

“Nearly 40 million people in the Gulf Cooperation Council - and that's around 65 per cent of the population - depend largely, to varying degrees on desalinated water from the Gulf,” says Ziad Khayat, Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Reports that three container ships have been refused entry to the Strait of Hormuz once again highlight the plight of thousands of seafarers west of the waterway.

According to the UN maritime organization, IMO, around 2,000 vessels and 20,000 seafarers have been affected by the war and the shipping crunch in the Strait.

Earlier this week, in a letter to the IMO, the Iranian authorities said that all “non-hostile” ships would be granted safe passage.

A short while ago, Brent crude was trading at $110.82 a barrel. A day before the Israeli and US bombing campaign started, the price was around $72.

• Nearly a month into war, civilians face fear and no safe refuge 

• Aid routes disrupted, but relief is getting back on track 

• Healthcare and key services hit in Iran 

• Over 1M displaced in Lebanon amid strikes 

• Infrastructure damage blocks aid access below Litani River

- UN News