UNICEF’s Rosalia Bollen, who’s on the ground there, said that hundreds of children had been killed and injured – some with severe burns, shrapnel lodged in their bodies, fractures and amputations.

“Even on 18 March with that very heavy, intense bombing, children still kept hope because they thought maybe it’s a one-off, but it’s not,” she told UN News.

“The attacks continue, the airstrikes continue, tank shelling, shooting and displacement orders continue…people keep being pushed around with very few belongings.”

‘Inhumane ordeal’

The head of the UN’s Palestine refugee relief agency (UNRWA), which is now outlawed by Israel although continuing to operate inside the shattered enclave, said everyone feared the worst is yet to come in Gaza.

“For nearly three weeks now, the Israeli authorities continue to ban the entry of any humanitarian aid or basic commercial supplies,” Philippe Lazzarini said in a social media post.

“Under our daily watch, people in Gaza are again and again going through their worst nightmare. An endless unleashing of the most inhumane ordeals.”

Also on Thursday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that hundreds of thousands of Gazans risk severe hunger and malnutrition as food stocks dwindle and borders remain closed.

WFP now has approximately 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza, which is enough to support operations “for a maximum of two weeks”, the agency said.

The agency has decided with the deteriorating security situation, rapid displacement of people, and growing needs, to distribute as much food as possible, as quickly as possible in Gaza:

      Food parcels: WFP plans to distribute food parcels to half a million people; the reduced size parcel will feed a family for roughly one week.

      Bakeries: Wheat flour supplies are sufficient to support bread production for 800,000 people for five days only. Currently 19 of 25 WFP-supported bakeries remain operational, and many struggle with severe crowd control issues as fear of bread shortages spreads throughout the Strip.

      Hot meals: WFP has supplies to support 37 kitchens across Gaza cooking 500,000 hot meals per day for the next two weeks. 

      Fortified biscuits: WFP has emergency stocks of fortified biscuits – enough  for 415,000 people – which can be used as a last resort if all other food stocks are exhausted.   

WFP and partners have positioned more than 85,000 tons of food commodities outside Gaza, ready to be brought in if border crossings are opened.

Clear and present danger

Intensified hostilities continue across the Strip, killing and injuring people and severely constraining the ability of humanitarian workers to provide life-saving support, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing journalists in New York.

Since Israel’s ground operation commenced in Rafah on Sunday, several ambulances belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense – as well as the Palestine Red Crescent Society – were hit trying to rescue the wounded and their crews became trapped in the area.

“Contact with the teams was lost, but several casualties have been reported,” he added.

Yesterday, a UN humanitarian and Red Crescent team attempted to extract any casualties and recover the ambulances, but they were unable to reach the area.

“Health workers, including first responders, should never be targeted,” Mr. Dujarric said. “Civilians fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be allowed to return voluntarily when the situation allows it.”

More people in Gaza are being forced to flee, and displacement orders now cover 18 per cent of Gaza’s territory again.

“The UN and our partners are responding to people’s deepening needs as the situation allows it, but the complete closure of the crossings for the entry of cargo, which includes humanitarian aid – coupled with the ongoing hostilities – is making all of this increasingly challenging,” the UN Spokesperson underscored.

Waiting at the border

Tens of thousands of tents and hundreds of thousands of shelter items are waiting to enter Gaza, and many families forced to flee are unable to bring any of their belongings, further intensifying the shelter crisis.

“Dwindling shelter stocks in Gaza are completely insufficient to meet the immense needs,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the health system in Gaza is in freefall.

Health partners report that essential supplies for mass casualty incidents need to be restocked due to the sharp increase in trauma cases and the severity of injuries.

WHO reports there are fewer than 500 units of blood available, when 8,000 are needed every month.

And as supplies of food, medicine and other supplies run low, aid teams are increasingly concerned about growing anxiety in bread lines outside the enclave’s remaining bakeries.

“Most attempts by humanitarian organizations to coordinate access with Israeli authorities within #Gaza result in #AccessDenied,” the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said in an online post.

Five out of seven such attempts were denied on Monday and six out of nine were rejected on Tuesday, it explained.

Hospitals need protection

Medical teams in Gaza are also exhausted “and urgently need protection and reinforcement” from ongoing strikes across the Strip, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Wednesday.

It cited new reports of attacks against health workers, ambulances and hospitals and warned of “hundreds of casualties, a severe drop in medical stocks and a lack of equipment, blood units and personnel” since the ceasefire ended.

“No one is safe. The world must have zero tolerance for atrocities,” the UN agency insisted.

Nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in recent days following the resumption of Israeli bombardment on 18 March, according to the health authorities. This includes a reported 38 individuals killed in the last 24 hours.  

In just the last week, eight aid workers have been killed in the enclave, bringing the total killed in Gaza to 399. That number includes at least 289 UN personnel, OCHA said, with staffers from the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) killed last Wednesday in an apparent Israeli tank strike on a United Nations compound in Deir al-Balah that also seriously wounded six others. Israel denied responsibility for the attack.

Three of those injured worked in support of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) which is involved in clearing unexploded ordnance in Gaza.

OCHA noted that on 20 March, the Israeli military re-deployed along the eastern and central part of the “Netzarim corridor” in Gaza. Movement between the north and south of Gaza was only allowed via the Al Rashid coast road.

Evacuation order misery

These military activities and new displacement orders issued by the Israeli military have triggered “new waves” of displacement across Gaza, with more than 142,000 people likely uprooted between 18 and 23 March, the UN aid office said.

“Israeli evacuation orders have covered 55 square kilometres across six areas of the #Gaza Strip – nearly the size of Manhattan,” OCHA said in an online post.

Around 15 per cent of the enclave has been impacted by evacuation orders – in addition to “no-go zones” that run along borders and in central Gaza.

The Israeli Government’s decision to ban the entry of humanitarian aid and any other supplies via all land crossings into Gaza is the longest such closure since October 2023, OCHA added, warning that gains made during the ceasefire to support survivors “have been reversed”.

To date, at least 50,000 Palestinians have been confirmed dead by local authorities with 113,828 wounded since the war erupted on 7 October 2023, in response to Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel that left more than 1,100 dead and more than 250 taken hostage. 

Ten years. That’s how long Yemenis have been putting their lives on hold – through airstrikes, through hunger, through loss. A decade of war has left Yemen’s infrastructure in ruins and its people exhausted. And yet, as the eleventh year begins, the world seems not to notice Yemen’s plight.

Today, close to 20 million people in Yemen depend on aid to survive. Nearly five million remain displaced, pushed from one place to another by violence or disaster. The international community, once moved by the staggering images of war and suffering, has switched its focus to new emergencies. But for those who work in Yemen – and for those who live this crisis every day – the story is far from over.

Ten years. That’s how long Yemenis have been putting their lives on hold – through airstrikes, through hunger, through loss. And yet, as the eleventh year begins, the world seems not to notice Yemen’s plight.

No one feels this reality more deeply than our Yemeni colleagues, who have remained at their posts through it all to help their own people. Many have worked through airstrikes, instability, and loss, all while worrying about the safety of their families. Now, with rising tensions and deepening funding cuts, they fear for their jobs too. Unlike most of us, they don’t have the option to simply start over. They can’t rely on savings or opportunities elsewhere – their passport alone often determines how far their future can stretch.

This is the daily reality in a country that, too often, is reduced to headlines about war. But Yemen is so much more than a crisis zone. It is a place of stunning landscapes, ancient cities, rich traditions, warm hospitality and the kind of food that stays in your memory long after you’ve left. But these aren’t the stories that make headlines. Instead, Yemenis are seen only through the lens of conflict and poverty. It’s time we remember the people behind the statistics.

Like Basma, a mother from Al Hodeidah who was forced to flee with her children to Al Makha in search of safety and water. She used to walk for hours every day just to fill a few jerrycans. Her youngest child once fainted from thirst while waiting in the heat. For years, clean water was a dream until a recently completed water project finally brought some relief to her village.

Or Ibrahim, a 70-year-old man displaced by heavy floods in Ma’rib. When the waters swept through the settlement, he carried his adult son, who lives with a disability, on his back to safety. They lost everything – their shelter, belongings, and sense of stability – but Ibrahim never complained. He focused only on finding help for his son. Now, they live in a temporary tent exposed to the elements, dependent on aid that may not arrive in time or at all.

Or Mohammed, a young man from Ethiopia who crossed deserts and conflict zones with nothing but the hope of reaching a better life. He never made it to the Gulf. Instead, he found himself stranded in Yemen – detained, beaten, and left without food or shelter. By the time he reached IOM’s Migrant Response Point, he was weak, traumatized, and desperate to go home. The only option left was to register for voluntary return – a journey home that many others never get to take.

Yemenis are not just victims, They are survivors, caregivers, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and children with hopes and ambitions like anyone else.

These are just three among millions of lives caught in the margins of this protracted crisis. One of the poorest countries in the Arab world is getting poorer – not because of its people, but because the world is slowly turning its back. This war didn’t start yesterday, but its consequences grow heavier by the day. Yemenis are not to blame for what is happening in the world, and yet, they bear the weight of it all. They don’t need our pity – they need our solidarity. Let this be the year we turn empathy into action.

As the international community gathers in conferences, makes pledges, and sets priorities, Yemen must not be left behind. Yemenis are not just victims. They are survivors, caregivers, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and children with hopes and ambitions like anyone else. But words alone will not keep people safe, fed, or sheltered. Don’t let these conversations remain just talk – Yemen needs action. To look away now would not just be a failure of diplomacy – it would be a failure of humanity.

Originally published on IOM Blogs on 26 March 2025.

In a statement, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, said the UN chief’s good offices remain available to support all efforts towards a lasting peace in Ukraine.

“Reaching an agreement on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to ensure the protection of civilian vessels and port infrastructure, will be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains, reflecting the importance of trade routes from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to global markets,” Mr. Dujarric said.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his hope that such efforts will pave the way for a durable ceasefire and contribute to achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions and in full respect of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.

Humanitarian crisis worsening

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine continues to worsen with nearly 13 million people in need of assistance – but funds are dwindling, a top UN relief official warned ambassadors in the Security Council.

Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, added that critical aid programmes are at risk due to recent funding cuts.

The shortfall is already having dire consequences, particularly for women and girls, and UN agencies fear that at least 640,000 could lose access to protection against gender-based violence, psychosocial support and safe spaces.

“Recent funding cuts have led to a reprioritization of Ukraine response efforts that will be announced in the coming weeks. Continued financial support will be essential to maintain operations,” Ms. Msuya said.

The $2.6 billion Ukraine humanitarian needs and response plan for 2025, which aims to reach six million people in need, is only 17 per cent funded.

Mounting civilian casualties

Ms. Msuya also highlighted the impact of the fighting on civilians.

“Since 1 March, not a day has passed without an attack harming civilians,” she said, noting civilian deaths and injuries, and damage to infrastructure across northern, central, eastern and southern Ukraine.

“In frontline communities, civilians are confronted with relentless shelling and face impossible choices: flee under dangerous conditions, leaving behind everything they own, or stay and risk injury, death and limited access to essential services,” she warned.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (UNHRMMU) has verified at least 12,881 civilian deaths since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, though the actual toll is feared to be much higher.

Humanitarian challenges

Meanwhile, humanitarians struggle to deliver aid, Ms. Msuya continued, stating that an estimated 1.5 million people in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya are in urgent need of assistance, but aid workers are unable to reach them “at any adequate scale”.

Humanitarian workers themselves are increasingly coming under attack, she said. Since the start of the year, seven aid workers have been injured and humanitarian assets damaged in several locations, further hampering relief efforts.

The destruction of energy infrastructure is compounding the crisis. Despite recent announcements of a ceasefire on energy targets, past attacks have left millions without reliable access to electricity, heating and water as cold weather persists.

Call for international support

Concluding her briefing, Ms. Msuya outlined three key asks for the international community: adherence to international humanitarian law to protect civilians, sustained funding to keep aid operations running and renewed efforts to push for a lasting end to the conflict.

The war must end, she underlined, and humanitarian needs must be central to discussions on a pause in fighting or longer-term agreement.