Lebanon’s PM Asks UN For Food Aid

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Tuesday with UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed (NNA)
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Tuesday with UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed (NNA)
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Lebanon’s PM Asks UN For Food Aid

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Tuesday with UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed (NNA)
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Tuesday with UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed (NNA)

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked on Tuesday UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed to assist Lebanon in facing food insecurity challenges as a result of the war in Ukraine.

The PM’s request came during a meeting with Mohammed at the Grand Serail in the presence of UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Rola Dashti.

“Mikati asked Mohammed for supporting Lebanon on food security in the face of the multiple challenges resulting from the presence of huge numbers of displaced Syrians in the country,” read a statement from the PM’s office.

During the meeting, Mikati also requested assistance in the recovery of funds transferred abroad and the fight against corruption.

The PM’s demand to support Lebanon comes as a food security crisis looms in the horizon because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the difficulty in importing goods, especially wheat.

Several officials have warned that Lebanon has wheat reserves sufficient to cover only one month.

The country imports most of its wheat and grains from Ukraine and Russia.



UN Aid Operations in Gaza Halted after Israel Evacuation Orders

 Displaced Palestinians leave the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for the area on August 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians leave the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for the area on August 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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UN Aid Operations in Gaza Halted after Israel Evacuation Orders

 Displaced Palestinians leave the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for the area on August 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians leave the perimeter of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following renewed Israeli evacuation orders for the area on August 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

United Nations humanitarian aid operations in Gaza ground to a halt on Monday after Israel issued new evacuation orders for Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip late on Sunday, a senior UN official said.

"We're unable to deliver today with the conditions that we're in," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "As of this morning, we're not operating in Gaza."

"We're not leaving (Gaza) because the people need us there," the official said. "We're trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel."

The official said UN staff on the ground had been directed to try and find a way to keep operating. He said UN operations had not been formally suspended.

The official said the United Nations had relocated its main command operations for the Gaza Strip and most UN personnel to Deir al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah in the south of Gaza.

"Where do we move now?" said the official, adding that UN staff had to be moved so quickly that equipment was left behind.

"The challenge is to find a place where we can reset and effectively operate," the official said. "The space to operate is being restricted more and more than ever."

The current war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel's military has leveled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.