UN humanitarian chief warns of ‘grave peril’ across Middle East as crises escalate

The UN relief chief warned Wednesday that escalating conflicts in the Middle East are creating an urgent need for humanitarian aid and putting increasing pressure on an already overstretched aid system.

Violence across the region is spreading across borders and deepening humanitarian crises, Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told reporters in Geneva.

"We're living through a moment right now of grave peril across the Middle East," he said. "We're seeing these crises escalate rapidly and increasingly collide in dangerous ways."

Fletcher said the consequences include displacement, economic shocks, and rising humanitarian needs, while aid workers themselves are increasingly under attack.

"The developments of the last two weeks are further confirmation that we're living in a time of brutality, impunity, and indifference, the rules-based scaffolding meant to restrain the worst excesses of war is cracking," he said. "Human ingenuity is being applied to find ever more sinister ways to kill at scale while civilians are subjected to ever more abject violence."

He also stressed that the humanitarian workers are "increasingly" under attack, and noted: "Just today, three more of my humanitarian colleagues in Sudan, in the DRC (The Democratic Republic of the Congo) and in Lebanon have, I'm afraid, been killed."

He urged the UN Security Council to prioritize the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers and to support aid agencies so they can reach people in need.

"Civilians, all civilians, wherever they are in the region, must be protected," Fletcher said.

The UN relief chief also called for renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.

"We need calmer heads to prevail. Peacemaking is hard, but it is always better, and takes more courage than the alternatives," he said.

Fletcher highlighted a global humanitarian plan launched late last year seeking $23 billion to assist 87 million people in urgent need of life-saving support. So far, $5 billion has been received and total pledges have reached $8.7 billion, he said, leaving a gap of more than $14 billion.

"We still need over $14 billion now to deliver this plan, and this is at a time when conflict in the Middle East is costing a billion dollars a day," he said. "Listen to that number and feel the shame that I feel that we're spending a billion dollars a day on this war. Even just $1 billion would allow us to save millions of lives."

He concluded by urging governments and public donors to accelerate funding, warning: "Without additional support, millions of people will die."