UN News Today 03 March 2026 |

UN food relief agency warns of widening regional impact 

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday that war in the Middle East risks creating a humanitarian crisis across multiple countries in the region already suffering chronic vulnerability.

On the fourth day of strikes and counter-strikes involving Israel, Iran, the US Lebanon and many Gulf States, WFP warned that the insecurity could also impact humanitarian work in Turkïye, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen and others.

Here’s the agency’s Samer Abdel Jaber, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe:

“Humanitarian supply routes across the region are going through a strain. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz is something that we’re monitoring, the Red Sea as well, because that will complicate maritime routes and basically delays and driving costs for most of our operations that depend on those routes.”

WFP is monitoring the number of people uprooted by the war and is already coordinating with overland suppliers in Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan.

Egyptian ports and the Suez Canal are still functioning and they are crucial hubs for ongoing aid operations including in Sudan, Mr. Jaber noted.

Relief as key Gaza crossing set to reopen, aid teams say 

Staying with WFP, which announced that a key crossing point for relief assistance into war-torn Gaza is set to reopen, after the Israeli authorities shut it at the weekend.

The crossing point is at Kerem Shalom, in the south of Gaza.

Aid agencies have welcomed the move although little food is available for Palestinians in the Strip.

According to WFP, it only has 10 days’ supply of wheat flour inside the enclave and enough food parcels to last two and a half weeks.

“We need to get in aid as fast as we can,” the agency said, in an appeal for a continuous and scalable flow of food into the enclave controlled by Israel.

Afghanistan braces for further returns influx from Iran and Pakistan

To Afghanistan, where there’s growing concern for the many vulnerable people returning to the country, amid ongoing hostilities with Pakistan and war in Iran.

So far in 2026, more than 232,000 Afghans have returned, approximately two-thirds from Pakistan and the remainder from Iran.

“Mass and hasty returns significantly heighten protection needs, and risk further instability in Afghanistan and the region, including onward movement,” the UN refugee agency, UNHCR said.

Inside Afghanistan, transit centres for people returning from Pakistan have been impacted by strikes. Torkham border crossing is currently closed, while Spin Boldak is open for Afghan returnees. 

“UNHCR remains on the ground to respond to new displacement and any returnee movements,” the agency said.

Needs remain massive across Afghanistan after last year’s surge in malnutrition – the highest ever recorded, year on year, says the UN. In 2026, another 200,000 children face acute hunger, a staggering 3.7 million youngsters in all.

Daniel Johnson, UN News