The agency said that despite the huge influx of humanitarian goods into Gaza during phase one of the ceasefire which began on 19 January, it has not been enough to make up for the 15 months of war when supply convoys were frequently blocked, impeded or cancelled by the Israeli military.

Speaking from Gaza, UNICEF’s Rosalia Bollen said that being unable to bring humanitarian relief into the enclave including vaccines and ventilators for pre-term babies “will have devastating real-life consequences” for children and their parents.

“If we’re unable to bring that in, routine vaccination will come to a standstill”, she told UN News. “Neonatal units won’t be able to care for preterm babies, so this is a real-life consequence that we’ll be dealing with very, very soon if we’re unable to resume the aid supplies coming in.”

The UNICEF Communication Specialist said that existing aid supplies have already been largely distributed throughout Gaza.

“The needs are so high that we haven’t been able to stockpile goods…that’s why these latest restrictions are so devastating,” she said, adding that the first phase of the ceasefire wasn’t just a pause in hostilities…it really was a lifeline for families here…The mood here is very depressed; families that I speak with are deeply worried about what the future is going to hold.”

Nutrition gains reversed

The aid blockade comes as the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported a slight improvement in dietary diversity during the ceasefire which humanitarians says “is now being reversed” by the aid blockade.

Before the current conflict, acute malnutrition in Gaza was almost non-existent, but today more than 3,000 children and 1,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women have been referred for acute malnutrition treatment.

In a more positive development, OCHA noted that February showed a slight improvement in the number of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women consuming the minimum required food groups.

Citing assessments by nutrition partners, the UN aid office added that about eight per cent of children consumed four or more food groups and there was “a noticeable increase in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, eggs and dairy products”, indicating increased availability at local markets.

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel had allowed aid organisations such as UNICEF to scale up urgently needed supplies for children and their parents in Gaza. These items included vaccines for routine immunisation, disposable medical supplies for hospitals, along with syringes, gauze and specialised equipment such as incubators, and ventilators to help pre-term babies breathe.

Other fundamental repairs had also been started to rehabilitate smashed public infrastructure, too.

“We had just managed to start increasing water production, especially in the north, ” said Ms. UNICEF’s Ms. Bollen. “We’ve been repairing water wells, we’ve been increasing distribution possibilities. All of that will be coming to a standstill.”

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular daily briefing in New York that the leaders of both the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities would join UN chief António Guterres along with guarantors Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom, at the UN in Geneva.

The Mediterranean island was divided between north and south in 1974 after years of hostilities. The UN has led negotiations towards a settlement, with the Security Council authorising a peacekeeping force in 1964, UNFICYP.

In the absence of a lasting agreement, the force remains on the island to supervise ceasefire lines, a buffer zone and to support humanitarian activities.

Previous talks

Mr. Guterres attempted to bring the two sides together in 2017 at the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana but talks ultimately broke down. A further push was made in 2021.

The meeting later this month will take place “in the context of the Secretary-General’s good offices’ efforts on the Cyprus issue,” in in line with his commitment to continue efforts made last October. 

“The informal meeting will provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward on the Cyprus issue,” Mr Dujarric said.

“The United Nations remains committed to supporting the Cypriot leaders and all Cypriots.”

Lebanon: Fighting continues in peacekeepers’ area of operations

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported more gunfire in their area of operations on Wednesday, as well as sporadic military activity by Israeli forces, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.

As of now, the Lebanese army have deployed to more than 100 locations in southern Lebanon – between the Litani River and the ‘Blue Line’ of separation between the two countries – with the support of UN peacekeepers.

Unexploded ordnance

The latest conflict has left south Lebanon, especially areas close to the Blue Line, heavily littered with unexploded ordnances, “posing very serious risks to civilians”.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deminers continue to assist Lebanese authorities in finding and destroying these explosive remnants. 

“Our peacekeepers have continued to discover caches of unauthorised weapons and ammunitions, including yesterday, a number of them in our Sector West, and all of them were duly reported to the Lebanese Armed Forces,” Mr. Dujarric explained.

Between 21 October 2024 and 26 February, 44 unexploded ordnances and six improvised explosive devices were discovered and destroyed.

Humanitarian work continues

At the same time, UNIFIL continues to facilitate humanitarian missions in their areas of operation, with over 60 missions having taken place since the cessation of hostilities, facilitating the return of displaced people.

Separately, the mission reports that 31 arrests have been made in connection with the attack on 14 February on a convoy near the Beirut airport. 

Mr. Dujarric emphasised the importance that “those responsible for that attack are brought to justice”, with the attack targeting the then Deputy Force Commander of UNIFIL and a number of his companions.

IOM expands humanitarian hub in Chad to aid 220,000 amid Sudan crisis

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) have completed the expansion of a key aid hub in Chad, in a move that will enable aid teams to reach up to 220,000 more in need.

The expanded operational capacity at the hub in Farchana will strengthen cross-border interagency humanitarian operations for Sudan – the world’s worst displacement crisis. 

Since April 2023, more than 11.5 million people have been displaced within Sudan and an additional 3.5 million have fled across borders, including an estimated 930,000 who have crossed from Sudan into Chad.

Nine million in need across Darfur

According to recent figures, nearly nine million people in the Darfur region alone require immediate assistance.

“With the strengthened cross-border operations, IOM has already reached over 82,000 people in Darfur with critical humanitarian aid, and with the expansion of the Farchana hub, we are poised to provide life-saving assistance to an additional 220,000 people in the coming months,” explained Pascal Reyntjens, IOM Chief of Mission in Chad.

“The hub also enables greater collaboration between humanitarian actors, development agencies and the government, which is essential for a comprehensive and sustainable response,” he continued.

The expansion includes office space, living quarters and other infrastructure that will help improve the effectiveness of aid work in hard-to-reach field locations in Sudan.

These enhancements will also enable international and national NGOs and UN agencies to further scale up cross-border operations from Chad into Darfur, where humanitarian needs are rapidly escalating.

The East African country faced famine in 2022, but a scale-up in humanitarian assistance helped to avert catastrophe.

Today, food insecurity on the increase once again, with 3.4 million people already acutely food insecure. That number is projected to rise by a full million, to 4.4 million between April and June – nearly a quarter of the population.

According to the international food security classification system IPC, acute hunger is level three on a scale of one to five, with level five denoting famine and level four, severe acute malnutrition.

High risk of mortality

WFP believes that about 1.26 million children under the age of five need immediate support. Of that number, 466,000 will likely be severely acutely malnourished this year and at risk of death.

“We have learned in Somalia from past experience that that delays can be deadly, and we need resources to provide support to these very vulnerable groups,” said WFP spokesperson Jean-Martin Bauer, speaking from Rome.

He called on donors and partners to increase funding to the country of 19 million people.

Poor harvest

Two consecutive failed crop seasons last year resulted in harvests 45 per cent below-average yields, Mr. Bauer said.

This is linked to consecutive climate shocks in Somalia, where poor rainfall depleted water sources and led to livestock losses.

Weather forecasters predict another drought from April to June, while humanitarians warn that malnutrition is likely to worsen due to disease outbreaks and reduced food access.

WFP has yet to factor in the impact of any funding cuts from the United States but chronic underfunding has forced it to cut back assistance to 820,000 people, down from 2.2 million in 2022.

The agency has also had to downsize its school feeding programme, which was suspended in some states including the South West and Somaliland.

Funding shortfalls

Just 12 per cent of the $1.4 billion overall appeal for Somalia has been funded so far, Mr. Bauer said.

The WFP provides up to 90 per cent of food assistance in Somalia, making it an essential lifeline for thousands of people, including many internally displaced by conflict.

A combination of in-kind food assistance and cash-based transfers is needed to mitigate the worst effects of the crisis, Mr. Bauer stressed, referring to aid coming in the form of goods or services like food packages, shelter and blankets.

“When you are facing a crisis like the one we are worried about in Somalia, we need all types of resources to be put at play to avert the worst,” he said.