The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know (Jan-Jun 2026)

What you need to know about the United Nations response to the conflict in the Middle East.

14 June

  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the conflict in the Middle East (OSSG)

12 June

  • Peacekeepers repair roads and bridges to improve access (UNIFIL)

11 June

  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the conflict in the Middle East (OSSG)
  • Statement by the Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders (UNRWA)

10 June

  • Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on the Middle East (OSSG)
  • Deadly violence continues to claim children’s lives across Gaza and the West Bank (UNICEF)

9 June

  • UNESCO steps up support as Lebanon‘s crisis unfolds (UNESCO)
  • No safe passage: Strait of Hormuz remains highly volatile (IMO)
  • Palestinian civilians are victims of all sides, trapped between the mass atrocities of Israeli forces and settlers and the fear-based rule of Hamas (OHCHR)

8 June

  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the Middle East (OSSG)
  • WFP warning becomes a reality for millions as Middle East crisis pushes poorest families further into hunger (WFP)

5 June

  • WFP warning becomes a reality for millions as Middle East crisis pushes poorest families further into hunger | World Food Programme (WFP)

4 June

Lebanon: Another peacekeeper dies in new attack

© UNIFIL/Kandice Ardiel A peacekeeper monitors the Green Hill area in Naqoura, Lebanon.
© UNIFIL/Kandice Ardiel A peacekeeper monitors the Green Hill area in Naqoura, Lebanon.

A Serbian peacekeeper serving in Lebanon died early Thursday after mortar fire on his position near Marjayoun in the country’s southeast, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has announced. (UN News)

  • Secretary-General Expresses Hope IsraelLebanon Ceasefire Will Lead to Lasting Peace | UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases (OSSG)
  • Secretary-General Condemns Killing of Serbian Peacekeeper in Lebanon | UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases (OSSG)
  • UNIFIL statement (04 June 2026) | UNIFIL (UNIFIL)
  • Note to correspondents – on the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Middle East Conflict and its Consequences, Mr. Jean Arnault | Secretary-General (OSSG)
  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the conflict in the Middle East | Secretary-General (OSSG)
  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the death of a peacekeeper in Lebanon | Secretary-General (OSSG)
  • Food security under pressure: How the Middle East crisis is impacting vulnerable countries | World Food Programme (WFP)

2 June

  • Increased transport costs mean less money for the lifesaving supplies children need (UNICEF)
  • Lebanon hospital strikes impact most vulnerable patients, warns WHO | UN News (UN News)
  • Strait of Hormuz Disruptions: The burden of oil price shocks on vulnerable economies | UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (UNCTAD)

1 June

  • WFP scales up response in Lebanon as displacement crisis enters third month and rising costs push food out of reach | World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Lebanon: Families flee Beirut as Israel threatens renewed strikes on Hezbollah | UN News (UN News)
  • Occupied Palestinian Territory: UN experts alarmed by escalating settler terror and displacement (OHCHR)

The UN Charter remains humanity’s best hope for peace.

Amid geopolitical divisions, member countries must uphold it & ensure that the UN lives up to what it was meant to be:

A forum for solutions.

A guardian of international law.

And a force for peace and security.

António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations (27 May 2026)

KEY RESOURCES

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Highlighted (confirmed) incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East (IMO)

United Nations

AskDag: Where can I find information about the State of Palestine's participation at the UN?

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