The UN’s top humanitarian official says the Middle East war is burning through about $1 billion every day, even as global aid efforts struggle with massive funding shortages.
Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief chief, said the cost of the conflict is deeply troubling at a time when humanitarian needs are rising rapidly and aid funding is falling short.
Speaking in Geneva, Fletcher warned the consequences of the conflict are spreading faster than the global response.
“This is a moment of grave peril,” he said, warning that millions could die without urgent support.
The United Nations had earlier launched a $23 billion humanitarian appeal to support 87 million of the world’s most vulnerable people, but about two-thirds of that funding is still missing.
Fletcher noted that over $14 billion is still needed, adding that even $1 billion — the cost of just one day of war — could save millions of lives.
He said crises in Gaza Strip and Sudan remain among the most urgent humanitarian priorities.
The UN official also warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a route responsible for about 20% of global oil supply, is already pushing up food, energy and fertilizer prices worldwide.
According to Fletcher, further escalation could disrupt more global supply routes and threaten humanitarian deliveries, particularly to sub-Saharan Africa.
He also raised alarm over the growing danger faced by aid workers, noting that humanitarian personnel have recently been killed in Sudan, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Aid workers are increasingly under attack,” he said, stressing that humanitarian agencies are overstretched, under-resourced and under threat, but remain committed to protecting civilians and delivering lifesaving assistance.
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