Key humanitarian air, sea and land routes are being constricted by disruption from the war in the Middle East, delaying life-saving shipments to some of the world's worst crises, 10 aid officials have told Reuters.
The U.S.–Israeli war on Iran entered its seventh day on Friday (6 March), convulsing global markets and disrupting supply chains with airspace closures and the halt of shipping through thecritical Strait of Hormuz.
Aid to Gaza and Sudan is grinding to a halt and costs are soaring for help to the hundreds of millions suffering hunger crises around the world.
"People in dire need of assistance will have to wait longer for food," said Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security at the World Food Programme.
Already, tents, tarpaulins and lamps destined for Gaza and the West Bank have become stuck in the supply chain, the International Organization for Migration(IOM) said.
Aid groups say higher operational costs are straining budgets already facing massive donor cuts. The IOM said shipping firms were demanding emergency surcharges of approximately $3,000 per container.
Humanitarian groups stocking goods for rapid regional deployment at warehouses in Dubai's Humanitarian Hub face challenges moving supplies onto transit routes.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies cannot move trauma kits to help the Iranian Red Crescent with search and rescue from its Dubai hub, where they sit in a 10 million Swiss franc ($13 million) emergency stockpile, said Cecile Terraz, a Director at the IFRC.
The group cannot move stock through Jebel Ali port, where cargo normally moves onto planes or into the Strait of Hormuz after the region's largest container terminal was set on fire by the debris of an intercepted missile.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) Dubai hub operations are also frozen, Regional Director Hanan Balkhy said, obstructing 50 emergency requests from 25 countries and hampering operations such as polio vaccination.
Famine-struck Sudan is particularly exposed due to additional restrictions since 28 February on the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, the UNHCR said.
"We are particularly concerned about Africa," said a spokeswoman, adding that some cargoes were being sent around the Cape of Good Hope. The route takes up to three weeks longer.
Costs for fuel, transportation and insurance are also rising, and Terraz said the IFRC may have to cut deliveries to the Iranian Red Crescent.
Emma Maspero, senior manager in Copenhagen of the supply division of the United Nations children's body UNICEF, said she hoped flights carrying perishable humanitarian goods such as vaccines could be prioritised amid the airspace restrictions.
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Iran has alerted the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the killing of civilians, medical staff and aid workers in U.S.–Israeli attacks, the vice-president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said.
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Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
Israel said it had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy, on Thursday, as confict in the Middle East continued.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
Pakistan has resumed military operations against Afghanistan after a brief Eid ceasefire, officials said on Thursday, dampening hopes of a lasting truce following the worst cross-border fighting in years.
Iran has alerted the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the killing of civilians, medical staff and aid workers in U.S.–Israeli attacks, the vice-president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said.
Israel said it had killed Iranian Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri in an air strike on Thursday (26 March), as multiple reports emerged of Tehran allowing some ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The European Union has announced €250,000 in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan to support families displaced by conflict and those recovering from last year’s earthquakes, with around 70,000 people expected to benefit.
Türkiye and Britain have signed a three-year deal covering training, maintenance and technical support for UK-made Eurofighter Typhoon jets, 20 of which Türkiye bought last year.
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