Middle East Crisis
As the humanitarian crisis continues across the Middle East, tens of thousands of people have been killed, injured and displaced, with civilians the hardest hit. The destruction of healthcare facilities has further endangered lives, limiting access to crucial services when they are most needed.
In Lebanon, despite a reduction in hostilities following ceasefire agreements in April, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced – adding to the tens of thousands who were already forced from their homes due to the conflict in 2024. Families continue to shelter in overcrowded, makeshift shelters with scarce health, hygiene or protection services. While nearly 650,000 people have begun returning to their areas of origin, they face extensive damage to housing, infrastructure and essential services. More than 450,000 people have fled to Syria, most of them returnees to a country still recovering from 15 years of conflict.
Strikes on Iran have caused devastating destruction and mass displacement across the region, sending hundreds of thousands of people fleeing across borders. In Jordan, which hosts more than 400,000 refugees, asylum seekers and stateless people, the war has intensified socioeconomic pressure. Gulf countries have also suffered strikes that damaged infrastructure and raised concerns about immediate and longer-term impacts on civilians.
In every country, women and girls face devastating impacts on their health, safety and futures. Pregnant women and new mothers are particularly vulnerable, with disrupted maritime and air routes delaying crucial medical and humanitarian deliveries to crisis-affected areas. In Lebanon alone, more than 390,000 women of reproductive age have currently been displaced, including 16,000 pregnant women, many without access to skilled birth attendance or emergency obstetric care. More than 18 million women and girls across the region are at heightened risk of gender-based violence, as many lose access to gender-based violence response services and healthcare.
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UNFPA is scaling up its operational capacity to meet the urgent needs of women and girls, tailoring its approach to each context. In overcrowded shelters and informal settlements, for instance, the risk of gender-based violence rises dramatically, including sexual exploitation, coercion and child marriage. UNFPA is establishing safe spaces, deploying female case workers and ensuring that survivors have access to confidential support and referral pathways. As the only agency dedicated to ensuring the continuity of reproductive health services, UNFPA is deploying mobile medical teams and midwives to reach women cut off from care. These services are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths in crisis settings.
Updated 21 July 2026
