GENEVA, 01 April. - (ANA) - The war in the Middle East continues, with attacks causing further terror and suffering, deepening the humanitarian crisis across the region. The UN announced the launch of a task force to meet the immense needs.  In Geneva, diplomats at the Human Rights Council have been discussing the school strike in Iran’s Minab that killed more than 100 children.

 

 

 

 

The Middle East is one of the driest regions in the world and desalination – turning seawater into drinking water – is vital for people and agriculture across Israel and the Gulf countries. Any attack on this infrastructure could have serious consequences.

 

To understand what is at stake, UN News spoke to Ziad Khayat, who is a senior official specialising in sustainable development with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

 

 

 

Since the start of the regional escalation, over 150 settler attacks in the occupied West Bank have resulted in casualties or property damage in roughly 90 Palestinian communities, UN humanitarians reported on Friday.

 

Moreover, settler attacks and access restrictions have displaced 1,700 Palestinians so far this year, already surpassing the total for 2025.

 

Meanwhile, humanitarian response continues in the Gaza Strip despite persistent access restrictions, supply chain disruptions and continued air strikes.

 

On Thursday, the UN and partners offered services to 47 Palestinians who returned from Egypt via the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) also supported the medical evacuation of 17 patients and 30 caregivers.

 

 

 

 

War-related disruptions to major global transport routes in the Middle East are delaying the delivery of lifesaving reproductive health supplies for women and girls in humanitarian crises around the world, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned. 

 

Even short delays can mean women giving birth without skilled care, survivors of rape missing the critical window for treatment, or health facilities lacking essential equipment.

 

16 countries - including Burundi, DR Congo, Mozambique, Uganda, Cuba, Yemen and Nigeria - that UNFPA supports are experiencing delays receiving labor and delivery room equipment, as well as more than 1.2 million male condoms.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/01 April 2026 - - -