UN expands Mideast aid as hostilities persist in Lebanon, Gaza

UNITED NATIONS, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Amid continuing hostilities, relief efforts were stepped up in swaths across the Middle East, challenged by mass displacements in Lebanon and aid access constraints in Gaza, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

OVER 2,360 IRANIAN DEATHS SINCE FEB. 28 STRIKE

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated on Tuesday 12 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the humanitarian efforts in Iran.

OCHA said the authorities in Tehran reported that between Feb. 28, when the Israeli-U.S. bombing of Iran began, and April 8, when a shaky ceasefire was implemented, more than 2,360 deaths were recorded, including 257 women and 220 children, along with tens of thousands of injuries. The atrocities severely stretched trauma care, burn management and primary health services.

The Israeli-U.S. strikes also damaged homes, schools, health facilities, care homes, humanitarian warehouses, and water, energy, transport systems, and other critical infrastructure nationwide, including disruptions of essential services.

OCHA said that although the ceasefire has eased insecurity, widespread destruction, rubble, and explosive or toxic remnants of war continue to prevent people from accessing basic services and hinder rescue and response efforts. The crisis spans a broad geographic area, with particularly severe consequences in densely populated regions.

The office said the CERF funding for Iran will support life-saving activities, and, where possible, response activities will be implemented through local partners, aligned with large-scale efforts led by the government.

HIGHER LEBANON HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

In Lebanon, OCHA said that a growing number of casualties and continued hostilities are driving humanitarian needs higher across the country. The Ministry of Public Health reported that more than 2,100 people have been killed and over 6,900 injured since March 2, and the Israeli invasion has displaced more than 1.2 million people.

"Across southern and eastern Lebanon, dozens of locations are being hit daily by strikes," the office said. "Reports indicate that at least 35 villages in the south were struck yesterday (on Tuesday), with extensive damage to residential areas."

OCHA is particularly concerned by the situation in the district of Bint Jbeil in Nabatieh governorate, with reports of armed clashes since Monday further restricting the movement of civilians, limiting their access to essential services and humanitarian aid.

The UN Refugee Agency and others reported reaching more than 90,000 displaced people across 448 collective shelters and within host communities with psychosocial support and other protection services. They are focusing on people most at risk, including families experiencing repeated displacement, children and people with disabilities.

"As the situation continues to deteriorate, the United Nations continues to call for immediate de-escalation, full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians; sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access; and more funding," OCHA said.

IMPEDIMENTS TO GAZA AID WORK

In Gaza, the world body and its humanitarian partners continue to deliver assistance, despite ongoing impediments.

The UN aid agency for Palestine refugees, known as UNRWA, reported being forced to reduce the operating hours of the electrical generators at its facilities in the first week of April, as they approached critical levels of mechanical failure.

"The facilities provide a range of services to vulnerable people," OCHA said. "The UN and its humanitarian partners need additional approvals to bring in much-needed spare parts and lubricants into Gaza to avoid further disruptions."

Asked at a regular briefing whether the generator spare parts were blocked from entering Gaza because they were considered dual-use, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that was the case in the past and that concerns had been raised.

"What we're trying to tell the Israeli authorities is that these are necessary parts in order for us to keep our facilities functioning," Haq said.

OCHA said its partners continue to deliver preventive and therapeutic nutrition services to girls and boys. Last month, they screened over 72,000 children and identified about 2,700 with acute malnutrition, and provided thousands with ready-to-use therapeutic food.

"In the first week of this month, partners working on child protection organized counselling and recreational activities for about 4,700 children," the office said. "These activities help girls and boys cope with ongoing displacement and dire humanitarian conditions."