Lebanon: ICRC outraged by deadly strikes in densely populated areas by OHCHR, ICRC, UN News, agencies   8 April 2026   Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon - Euan Ward and Christina Goldbaum for New York Times. (Extract)   "Shortly after lunchtime, Israeli fighter jets pummeled the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and other parts of the country, many of the strikes hitting densely populated areas without warning. Residents had no time to flee as missiles rained down on crowded neighborhoods that some once considered safe.   At least 250 people were killed and around 1100 wounded in the attacks, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, making it one of the deadliest days of this war.   Many people were still trapped under the rubble of apartment buildings as search-and-rescue teams clambered through the ruins. The sound of ambulances echoed across Beirut into the evening as plumes of thick, acrid smoke rose above the skyline.   “It’s like they started just striking everywhere, no warnings, nothing,” said Abir Majed, 40, who was cooking rice in her Beirut apartment when an Israeli strike hit several floors below"..   Reporting by correspondent Simona Foltyn for the PBS Newshour:   "There was no prior warning given by the IDF, which means that civilians didn't have the chance to get to safety, which is why we are seeing this high and still rising in death toll with more than 200 people killed, hundreds injured, and this sweeping bombardment of densely populated urban areas, not just here in the capital, Beirut, but also in the south and east of the country.   The IDF claims it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and fighters, which it said had moved outside of Hezbollah's typical areas of control. But what we have really seen are horrific scenes of people, including children, being pulled from the rubble of residential buildings, grocery stores, shops, pharmacies and bakeries.   So what this escalation has really done is inflict a very heavy civilian toll and sow panic and chaos among a traumatized population on a day when many had hoped that a cease-fire was on the horizon".   The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was “outraged by the devastating death and destruction” in densely populated areas across Lebanon.   "Heavy explosive weapons with wide-area effects struck densely populated urban areas, including the capital Beirut, without effective advance warnings. The daytime strikes on bustling neighbourhoods left more than one hundred killed and hundreds more wounded, including women, children and medical workers".   “Any comprehensive agreement for the region must consider the safety, protection and dignity of civilians in Lebanon,” said an ICRC statement. “After more than five weeks of hostilities, people urgently need respite from the violence,” it added.   The deputy spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Farhan Haq, said the UN “strongly condemns” Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.   “The United Nations strongly condemns the strikes by Israel across Lebanon that resulted in significant civilian casualties,” said Haq. “We continue to call on all sides to avail themselves of diplomatic channels, cease hostilities”, and use the new US-Iran ceasefire as an opportunity to prevent further loss of life,” he added.   Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the Israeli Prime Minister’s “contempt for life and international law is intolerable” in light of the attacks. “It’s time to speak clearly: – Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. – The international community must condemn this new violation of international law. There must be no impunity for these criminal acts,” Sanchez said.   In Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he spoke to the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and expressed solidarity for the “unjustified and unacceptable attacks he is suffering from Israel.”   “We want to avoid there being a second Gaza. We will reiterate this concept to the Israeli Ambassador as well, whom I have summoned. We condemn the bombings on the Lebanese civilian population, including the gunfire incidents suffered by our UNIFIL [UN Interim Force in Lebanon] troops, for which we continue to demand guarantees of total safety. We must absolutely avoid any further expansion of the conflict that would jeopardise the recent ceasefire in Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Tajani added.   UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk condemned the massive wave of Israeli strikes across Lebanon, saying reports that hundreds of civilians had been killed and injured are appalling.   “The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific,” said the High Commissioner. “Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief. It places enormous pressure on a fragile peace, which is so desperately needed by civilians.”   Israel said it had carried out some 100 strikes across the country within 10 minutes. The southern suburbs of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley were all reportedly struck. Mass casualties have been reported, and hospitals overwhelmed. A UN Human Rights team at the site of one of the strikes in the capital described a scene of devastation, and seeing numerous dead bodies amid the rubble.   In the south, an overnight Israeli strike on a building in front of Hiram Hospital in Al-Aabbassiye, near Tyre, reportedly killed four people and damaged the hospital. Another attack hit an ambulance of the Islamic Health Authority in Qlaileh, reportedly killing three.   “International humanitarian law spells out clearly that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” he said.   “Each and every attack must comply with international humanitarian law fundamental principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions to protect civilians,” Türk added.   “These principles are non-negotiable, and must always be respected, whatever the circumstances of armed conflict.   “There must be prompt and independent investigations into all alleged violations, and those responsible brought to justice.”   Prior to Wednesday’s attacks, the Lebanese authorities had reported that over 1,500 people, including over 200 women and children, had been killed by Israeli attacks since 2 March 2026, and over a million people displaced.   Between 2 March and 7 April, missile and drone attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel resulted in two civilian deaths and damages to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure and property, as well as displacement from impacted areas. The High Commissioner condemns and deplores all such attacks, and urges both parties to end them immediately.   Israel has issued warnings and displacement orders covering approximately 14 percent of Lebanon, including the whole region south of the Zahrani river, most of Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of the Beqaa region. In recent weeks, the Israeli military has also demolished scores of homes and shops in Lebanese villages near the southern border.   “The scale of such actions, coupled with statements by Israeli officials indicating an intention to occupy or even annex parts of southern Lebanon, are deeply troubling,” said the High Commissioner.   “The international community must act quickly to help bring an end to this nightmare,” he said. “Efforts to bring peace to the wider region will remain incomplete as long as the Lebanese people are living under continuing fire, forcibly displaced, and in fear of further attacks.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/turk-condemns-deadly-wave-israeli-strikes-lebanon http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/lebanon-icrc-outraged-deadly-strikes-densely-populated-areas http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/04/1167268 http://news.un.org/en/audio/2026/04/1167266 http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/04/lebanon-urgent-call-to-protect-civilians-as-death-toll-mounts-following-brutal-escalation-in-israeli-attacks http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-statement-intensified-strikes-lebanon-and-devastating-impact-children http://www.careinternational.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/care-international-uk-responds-to-latest-escalation-in-lebanon/ http://www.hi-us.org/en/humanity-inclusion-appalled-by-israeli-military-operation-in-lebanon-calls-for-immediate-protection-of-civilians http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-477/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/iran-ceasefire-must-hold-and-include-lebanon.-aid-is-underfunded http://www.savethechildren.net/news/ceasefire-first-step-children-lebanon-still-under-fire-save-children   * "On common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC has repeatedly stated that the obligation to “ensure respect” is not limited to behaviour by parties to a conflict, but includes the requirement that States do all in their power to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected universally":   http://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule144
	Military escalation in the Middle East by OHCHR, OCHA, UNHCR, UNICEF, agencies   3 Mar. 2026   UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani remarks on the military escalation in the Middle East:   “The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable – and was entirely avoidable. The situation is worsening and widening by the hour, playing out our worst fears,” the UN Human rights spokesperson said.   “UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says he is deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict erupted on Saturday with Israel and the United States of America’s attacks on Iran, Iran’s response against States across the region, as well as Hezbollah’s subsequent entry into the conflict,” Shamdasani stated.   “The laws of war are crystal clear. Civilians, and civilian objects are protected. All States, and armed groups, must abide by these laws,” she added.   The High Commissioner calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, prevent further escalation, and take all feasible measures to protect civilians, including foreign nationals, as well as critical infrastructure. Returning to the negotiating table is the one and only way to bring an end to the killing, destruction and despair.   “So far, besides Iran and Israel, the hostilities have impacted 12 other States, destroying or damaging private homes, offices and businesses, airports, energy infrastructure, amongst other civilian infrastructure,” Shamdasani said.   “In the single deadliest – and devastating – incident, dozens of girls were reportedly killed and injured when their primary school in Minab in the south of the country was struck during the school day,” she stated.   “I mean, children, little girls in the middle of the school day, at the beginning of the school day, being killed in this manner, backpacks with, you know, blood stains on them. This is absolutely horrific. And I think if there's any image that captures the essence of the destruction, despair and senselessness and cruelty of this conflict, those are the images,” she added.   The High Commissioner calls for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it. The UN Human Rights Office calls on them to make public the findings and ensure accountability and redress for victims.   “The Iranian military has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks, deploying hundreds of missiles and drones, among other weapons systems, against States across the region, killing civilians and causing damage to civilian infrastructure. In the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, nine people were killed when a missile struck a residential area,” Shamdasani said.   “We are also gravely concerned by the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired barrages of projectiles into Israel, and the heavy counterstrikes of Israel, including in Beirut. We urge both parties to immediately end this major escalation in violence and to return to the agreed ceasefire,” Shamdasani added.   Reports say there have been civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, and significant re-displacement as a result of the Israeli strikes in the south of the country, and southern suburbs of Beirut. Information received indicates that nearly 30,000 residents had fled the affected areas overnight, on top of the already 64,000 already displaced.   “Across Iran, we have grave concerns for the welfare of the population, given the Government’s record of cracking down with lethal force on broad scale against those who oppose their rule and new threats of senior officials against any expression of dissent at this time,” she said.   The spokesperson also voiced concern over that many Iranians are again unable to access the Internet, and hence have limited access to essential information, including that necessary to seek safety from the ongoing hostilities. She called for the immediate restoration of telecommunications services.   “Human rights must not be instrumentalized or used as a bargaining chip by any State – we know from painful history what the results of the use of brute, external force can mean for human rights. Human rights need to be central to Iran’s future,” the spokesperson said.   * Middle East - Civilians at risk across region. (OCHA)   The Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the United Nations and its partners continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation across the Middle East, where hostilities are increasingly affecting civilians, humanitarian operations and essential supply routes.   In Iran, authorities report more than 1,000 deaths and damage to over 100 civilian sites, including residential areas, medical and pharmaceutical facilities, Iranian Red Crescent Society bases and schools. The UN Refugee Agency reports that around 100,000 people have been displaced since 28 February, with population movements observed from major cities toward rural areas.   Turning to Lebanon, bombardments in the south of the country and in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, continue to impact civilians. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported more than 70 fatalities and over 435 injuries since the start of the escalation.   Israeli authorities have issued orders instructing residents south of the Litani River, including those in the cities of Tyr and Bint Jbeil, to move north of the river. A forced displacement order was also issued for Dahieh, an entire neighbourhood in the south of Beirut. According to the Government, more than 95,000 people are sheltering in over 440 collective shelters.   * (More than a million people in Lebanon have been registered as displaced after fighting restarted between Israel and Hezbollah following the United States and Israel’s war on Iran).   OCHA reiterates that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law. De-escalation, safe humanitarian access and functioning supply routes remain essential to ensure assistance can reach people affected across the region.   The brutality of war measured in children’s lives as hostilities escalate in Iran - UNICEF   “UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deadly impact the ongoing military escalation in Iran is having on children. Over 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured.   “Among the casualties are 168 girls killed when a strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran, on 28 February, while classes were in session. Reports indicate that the majority of those killed were schoolchildren aged between 7 and 12. In addition, 12 children were killed in other schools across five different locations in Iran.   “These child casualties are a stark reminder of the brutality of war and violence on children, which impacts families and communities for generations.   “Children and schools are protected under International Humanitarian Law and must be places of safety.   “As military strikes continue across the region, children are increasingly exposed to violence and the impact on essential civilian infrastructure poses a direct threat to their wellbeing. At least 20 schools and 10 hospitals have reportedly been damaged in Iran, disrupting children’s access to education and critical health services.   “UNICEF urgently calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, and to ensure the protection of civilians. Under international humanitarian law, the lives and wellbeing of children must always be protected.   “UNICEF continues to closely monitor the situation and stands ready to support the humanitarian efforts to assist children and families affected by the escalating violence.”   6 Mar. 2026   Humanitarian crises escalate in Middle East - Press briefing by Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.   "This a very tough moment for our humanitarian work. I do think this is a moment of grave peril right now. We’re seeing these crises escalate rapidly with consequences that are out of control for those instigating the conflict, and we’re seeing increasing linkages between these different humanitarian crises – none of them good.   We’re seeing staggering amounts of money, reportedly $ 1 billion a day, funding this war, spent on destruction, while politicians continue to boast about cutting aid budgets for those in greatest need. And we’re seeing an increasingly deadly alliance of technology and killing with impunity.   We’re seeing a sustained attack against the systems and laws meant to restrain us from our worst instincts and from reckless warfare.   So too many warning lights are flashing right now. And as the Secretary-General has said, what we need is de-escalation, an immediate cessation of hostilities, genuine dialogue and negotiations, in line with the Charter of the United Nations. We need calmer heads to prevail.   Actions, of course, have consequences, and once again, civilians are facing those consequences across the Middle East.   Homes, hospitals and schools are being hit. Across the region, UNHCR are reporting hundreds of thousands of people displaced. UNICEF are reporting that over 190 children have been killed since the escalation, including over 180 in Iran, seven in Lebanon, three in Israel, and one in Kuwait. So once again, civilians must be protected – full stop.   We are mobilizing in response, across the humanitarian community. I’m in close contact with our teams in Iran and throughout the wider region, and we’re distributing life-saving help, including food, medicine and shelter.   Yesterday, I spoke to the Permanent Representative of Iran. I reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to help civilians needing humanitarian support. Authorities there are reporting more than 1,000 deaths and damage to over 100 civilian sites. UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration are reporting that over 100,000 people have been internally displaced in the last week.   In Lebanon, more than 100 people have been killed, hundreds more injured. Around 100,000 people are seeking refuge in hundreds of shelters. Even before the escalation, WFP were reporting that 874,000 people in Lebanon are lacking food.   In Gaza, Israel initially shut all crossings and brought many humanitarian movements to a halt a week ago, so aid stocks could not be replenished at the rate necessary. Shortages worsened, prices surged, and while Karem Abu Salem/Karem Shalom has reopened, other crossings, including Rafah, remain closed for now. Medical evacuations suspended. We’ve been able to bring in less than half the fuel we need as a bare minimum to keep services running. Key NGO partners remain restricted, facing unacceptable restrictions on their work, and strikes on residential areas have continued despite the ceasefire.   In Afghanistan, dozens have been killed in fighting on the Pakistan border, many of them women and children, and civilian infrastructure has been damaged. Displacement, already huge, is rising fast. More than 16,000 families have fled their homes, adding to millions already displaced across Afghanistan, and border closures have left more than 168 containers stranded, while flight suspensions and security restrictions are making it harder for us to reach people in need.   Beyond the impact on those country crises, I also fear three knock-on effects of this war.   Firstly, war doesn’t stay neatly within borders or on desktop military plans. It tears through markets, supply chains, food prices. And when that happens, it’s the most vulnerable people who are hit first and hardest.   And so, when maritime corridors, such as the Straits of Hormuz, are disrupted, food prices will rise. health systems will be squeezed, and basic commodities, including our humanitarian supplies, will become much harder to access.   A second-knock on effect: there will be even less attention for crises from Sudan to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ukraine and beyond. We sometimes hear that these conflicts have been ended. Let me repeat that they have not.   A third knock-on impact: the last week is part of a pattern of attrition against international law and humanitarian principles. As conflicts spread, the international system pulls further apart and more resources flow towards weapons, rather than the funding, the political will, the diplomatic energy needed for saving lives.   Humanitarian action is always harder in times of war, but this is, of course, when it is most needed. So, I want to end by recognizing the humanitarians who continue to head towards danger to support civilians caught up in this escalation. They must be protected.   The humanitarian movement will once again meet this moment. We’ll continue to serve those who need us. Every day that this continues, we will see many, many more people displaced, often into areas of existing high need.   As I said, attention now and money and time and energy is shifting into different ways to continue this war, rather than into existing humanitarian needs, and now the new humanitarian needs created by the war.   I also worry about other crises. I mentioned Sudan, Gaza and OPT, South Sudan, Ukraine, DRC, which all need sustained engagement, and which are slipping too far down the list. So the warning lights are really flashing right now.   Q: I wonder what the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, could do with a billion a day.   UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: That is, well, it’s a billion-dollar question, and I can tell you, we would save millions of lives with a billion dollars. We’re trying this year to save 87 million lives with $23 billion, so you can do the maths on how many we could save every day with that billion dollars. And it breaks our hearts that this is being spent on this conflict, rather than dealing with the existing huge humanitarian needs.   We’ve lost our bearings somehow in the world, and that this ingenuity and creativity that humans have is being spent on developing more and more sophisticated ways of killing each other. Rather than solving a very solvable problem, which is saving 87 million lives facing life threatening circumstances out of 300 million really in desperate need, as the starting point.   http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3031/un-human-rights-spokesperson-ravina-shamdasani-remarks-on-the-military-escalation-in-the-middle-east http://www.unognewsroom.org/all-stories http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-projects-food-insecurity-could-reach-record-levels-result-middle-east-escalation http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-statement-impact-military-escalation-children-middle-east http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/brutality-war-measured-childrens-lives-hostilities-escalate-iran http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/iran-children-must-never-be-collateral-damage-un-committee-says http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-are-bearing-brunt-escalating-violence-lebanon http://www.savethechildren.net/news/every-war-war-against-children-it-must-never-be-accepted-inevitability-statement-save-children http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/middle-east-war-the-vast-human-cost-is-overlooked http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2026/03/lebanon-israeli-blanket-displacement-orders-bring-more-misery http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-tells-security-council-exhausted-lebanon-not-asking-help-oxygen http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/lebanon-intensification-hostilities-worsens-impact-civilians-and-critical-infrastructure http://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/flash-appeal-lebanon-march-may-2026-march-2026   http://www.rescue.org/press-release/closure-strait-hormuz-and-regional-airspace-closures http://www.rescue.org/press-release/one-million-people-displaced-across-lebanon-just-two-weeks-children-need-urgent http://www.savethechildren.net/news/middle-east-regional-conflict-blocking-lifesaving-aid-nearly-half-million-children http://www.savethechildren.net/news/conflict-drives-eid-food-price-surge-across-middle-east-and-wider-region-leaving-families http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/turk-deplores-strikes-against-iran-and-retaliation http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-urges-respect-rules-war-major-military-escalation-middle-east http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-almost-700-000-displaced-week-across-lebanon-crisis-deepens http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-3-2-million-iranians-temporarily-displaced-iran-conflict-intensifies http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-responds-rising-displacement-middle-east-emergency   http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-warns-moment-grave-peril-humanitarian-crises-escalate-middle-east http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-middle-east-violences-humanitarian-fallout-increasingly-daunting http://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/escalation-middle-east-and-beyond-humanitarian-response http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-rising-food-and-fuel-prices-risk-pushing-global-hunger-higher-humanitarian-needs http://www.unocha.org/news/closure-hormuz-could-have-immense-impact-humanitarian-operations-un-relief-chief-warns http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/statement-regional-directors-ingos-middle-east-region http://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/u-s-israel-iran-war-on-course-for-cataclysmic-civilian-harm-displacement-and-humanitarian-need/ http://www.inew.org/iran-and-the-middle-east-inew-warns-of-escalating-harm-as-civilian-casualties-reported-across-region/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/middle-east-escalation http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167063
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