Oslo, Norway, 26 March 2026 – The war in the Middle East is barely one-month old but tens of millions of civilians across the region bear the brunt of violence, displacement and destruction. The following is a statement from Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)’s secretary general, who calls for an urgent de-escalation as well as protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Political and military elites behind a month of escalating war across the Middle East have not understood that tens of millions of civilians across the region bear the brunt of violence, displacement and destruction. We urgently need an end to this conflict.
“Millions of people in Iran and Lebanon have fled their homes. Thousands have been killed or injured across Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Gulf, with people in more than a dozen countries still facing threats from direct attack or falling debris. Attacks destroying energy facilities and other critical civilian infrastructure rob electricity, water, healthcare, and heating from millions that already faced extreme hardships.
“The impact of this war is now ricocheting around the world. The inflating cost of fuel and goods is already starting to challenge humanitarian responses from Mozambique to Myanmar and beyond.
“Our NRC teams in Iran and in Lebanon are witnessing desperation, death and destruction. We are urgently scaling up our response for families impacted by this war. In Iran we provide displaced families with cash and in Lebanon we support people in collective shelters with essential items, including blankets and mattresses. We are also improving these shelters – almost all of them repurposed schools – to ensure better water and sanitation conditions. But with limited funding available this is more difficult than ever. We call on donors to step up their support today and enable us to continue to deliver at this critical moment.
“Just a small fraction of the billions of dollars spent on this war could fund life-saving support to millions now in need. In Lebanon alone, the humanitarian needs of families affected by the current escalation could be met with the spending on just eight hours of this conflict.
“All parties in this conflict must urgently de-escalate, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and energy plants, respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, and allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”
Note to editors:
Photos from Lebanon are available for free use here.
Across Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia a total of 2,698 people have been killed as of 25 March (Al Jazeera).
In Iran, over 3.2 million people are internally displaced, primarily fleeing major urban centres (UNHCR).
In Lebanon, more than one million people are displaced, out of which 133,000 are registered in 645 collective shelters (UNHCR).
The Lebanon humanitarian flash appeal requires 308 million USD to support one million affected people in the country. As of 26 March, 91.6 million USD have been provided making the plan 30 per cent funded (OCHA).
The UN states that this war costs 1 billion USD a day (UN).
NRC is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee in 40 countries including Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and across the Middle East.
In Lebanon, NRC is active in providing support for dignified shelter, water and sanitation services, education support, information and legal counselling services and distributed non-food items including blankets, mattresses, kitchen kits and menstrual kits. To date we have provided support to reach more than 15,300 internally displaced people across all affected areas of the country with more than 20,000 items and kits.
In Iran, NRC is aiming to support 50,000 Iranians and Afghans affected by this crisis across nine provinces with cash assistance, education services, protection and legal assistance and integrated water and sanitation, and shelter support to ensure vulnerable communities can meet their urgent needs. NRC has been working in Iran since 2012. In 2025, NRC provided assistance to nearly 115,000 Afghans and host community members across 11 provinces.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329
United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards