STORY: Aid to Gaza, Sudan and other world crises is grinding to a halt as the war in the Middle East disrupts air, sea and land routes, ten aid officials have told Reuters.
:: Flightradar24.com
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has resulted in airspace closures...
:: LSEG
... and the halt of shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed.
:: UNHCR
:: Beirut, Lebanon / March 3, 2026
Life-saving goods for rapid regional deployment are stuck at warehouses in Dubai's Humanitarian Hub.
And costs are soaring for helping the hundreds of millions suffering hunger.
"...if we don't deliver goods from humanitarian cargo, the impact could be lives not saved. So we are really worried about the situation."
Cecile Terraz of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC said the group can't currently move aid stocks from its Dubai hub through the Jebel Ali port...
...where it would move onto planes or into the Strait of Hormuz.
:: 2026 Planet LabsPBC
On March 1 Jebel Ali, the region's largest container terminal, was set ablaze by the debris of an intercepted missile.
"It can get much worse with the backlog of cargo, air freight, with a number of ports which are operating but shipments are not able to be unloaded, with a number of border issues, which are closing right now. Every day that the situation goes on creates a larger supply chain problem for us and for the world."
:: Tine, Chad / November 2025
Massive donor cuts are already straining aid groups' budgets. Now they face soaring operational costs.
Costs for fuel, transportation and insurance are rising.
Shipping firms are demanding emergency surcharges of approximately $3,000 per container, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Tents, tarpaulins and lamps destined for Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank are stuck in the supply chain, the group said.
"We're particularly concerned about Africa."
Famine-struck Sudan is particularly exposed, says UNHCR spokesperson Charlotte Wolf.
"Sudan is approaching very shortly the three-year mark of this terrible crisis, the largest displacement crisis in Africa. And of course, crises that are already extremely neglected and lacking immediate funding. And so this could be further exacerbated."
Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security at the U.N.'s World Food Programme, said the war could increase the risk of hunger worldwide.
:: Zawayda, Gaza / October 2025
"And it's not just the cost, it's also the time. The time factor is quite critical here. We're talking about very important nodes in the global transportation network and the global supply chain network." // WHITE FLASH //
"And what will happen is that people in dire need of assistance will have to wait longer for food."
