Beirut - Gaza: Europe and the Arabs
The World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have warned of an expected deterioration in food security in Lebanon, as ongoing hostilities continue to seriously disrupt supply chains and deepen food insecurity, which currently affects more than 1.2 million people in the country. According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning, Friday.

In a press conference held in New York yesterday, Thursday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that nearly a quarter of Lebanon's population "already suffers from insufficient food consumption," and the situation is expected to deteriorate further as food prices continue to rise. He confirmed that the World Food Program has delivered food to more than 65,000 people since September, most of them in the southern and Baalbek governorates.

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that displacement continues amid renewed evacuation orders and new airstrikes today. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 880,000 people have been displaced within the country, including more than 20,000 migrants forced to flee their homes and places of work.

Displacement has also continued across the Syrian border, with UNHCR saying more than half a million people have fled to Syria – more than half of them children and two-thirds of them Syrians. “It is important to stress the need to protect civilians regardless of whether they choose to stay or leave,” said Mr. Dujarric.

As for the situation in the Palestinian territories, Muhannad Hadi, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, warned that the delivery of essential aid across Gaza, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies, has been disrupted. He said the survival of two million people is at stake.

In a press statement, Hadi said that the Israeli authorities have – over the past six weeks – blocked commercial imports. He added that the escalation of armed looting targeting humanitarian convoys and truck drivers – fueled by the breakdown of public order and safety – has further hampered the ability of humanitarian organizations to collect supplies from border areas and deliver essential aid.
Palestinian civilians are struggling to survive in unlivable conditions as hostilities continue, he said, “pushed to the brink and lacking access to the essential support they desperately need, they are suffering an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.” The UN official added that UN trucks have been looted 75 times this year, including 15 attacks since 4 of this month. Meanwhile, gunmen have stormed UN facilities some 30 times. Last week, a driver in a convoy was shot in the head and was hospitalized with his colleagues.

Muhannad Hadi stressed that humanitarian agencies in Gaza remain committed to staying and working, but questions are increasingly being raised about their ability to do so. He appealed for “safe and unhindered access” throughout Gaza through legal means.
In the same context, and weeks before the end of his term, Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, warned of attempts to undermine the structures for establishing a Palestinian state and the consequences of the status quo for the entire region. He stressed the existence of consensus on the two-state solution (Israel and Palestine), and called on the international community to take the lead in charting a way out of the conflict.

In an interview with UN News before leaving his post, Tor Wennesland said that the events of October 7, 2023 and their aftermath were the biggest test the United Nations has faced in the Middle East file. He added that those events caused confusion among both the parties themselves and regional and international powers.

The veteran diplomat, who began his direct engagement with Middle East issues in his home country of Norway with the process that led to the Oslo Accords, warned of the consequences of the absence of a solution to the conflict for Palestinian youth, "who may find another way to express their frustration."

The UN official stressed the need for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the restoration of safety and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, as necessary steps towards a permanent solution. He stressed the need for the international community and regional partners to work together to develop a framework and chart a way forward, saying that the continuation of the current situation threatens the stability of the region and will have repercussions throughout the world.