UN Urges De-escalation Amid Iran-Israel War, Gaza Crisis

A boy in Gaza searches through garbage to find burnable materials for stove fuel, as fuel shortages worsen the humanitarian crisis. © UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

Senior United Nations officials on Saturday renewed urgent appeals for restraint as escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran risk plunging the region into deeper turmoil. The worsening situation is compounded by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians.

In a joint call, UN agencies warned that the widening conflict could spark new waves of displacement across a region already scarred by decades of war.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) noted that recent military strikes have driven people in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes to escape the cross-border missile attacks.

“Movements have been reported from Tehran and other parts of Iran, with some choosing to cross into neighbouring countries,” said UNHCR. “Shelling has also forced people in Israel to seek shelter elsewhere domestically and, in some cases, abroad.”

“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss and displacement – we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “The time to de-escalate is now. Once people are forced to flee, there’s no quick return, and the consequences can last for generations.”

UNHCR also called on neighbouring countries to uphold the right to asylum and ensure humanitarian access, while urging all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Rising nuclear risks as Iranian sites hit

The crisis intensified further after Israel carried out multiple airstrikes on Iranian nuclear-related facilities. According to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a centrifuge workshop in Esfahan was among those hit.

“This is the third such facility targeted in the past week,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. He noted that while no nuclear material was present at the Esfahan site and no radiological risk was posed, repeated strikes on nuclear infrastructure severely undermine global nuclear safety and security.

“There is a danger this could escalate into a radiological incident,” Grossi warned.

The IAEA said it has been monitoring damage to nuclear-related facilities in Esfahan, Arak, Karaj, Natanz and Tehran since Israel’s military campaign began on 13 June. The agency is providing regular updates to the UN Security Council, which has yet to agree on a response.

On Friday, during an emergency Security Council meeting in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that continued escalation could “ignite a fire no one can control.”

Gaza on the brink

The regional conflict is further complicated by the war in Gaza, where conditions continue to deteriorate. On Saturday, the Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, addressed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul with a stark warning.

“In Gaza, two million people are being starved,” he said. “The newly created so-called ‘aid mechanism’ is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people. It is a death trap, costing more lives than it saves.”

According to local authorities, more than 55,000 people have been killed in the Strip since the conflict began in 2022, with the majority being women and children.

Lazzarini described a society broken by war: “Survivors are shadows of their former selves, their lives shattered by trauma and irreparable loss.”

In the occupied West Bank, he noted that the destruction of infrastructure and forced displacement are altering the demographic make-up of Palestinian refugee camps—threatening the prospect of a two-State solution and stripping Palestinians of their rights.

UNRWA under pressure

UNRWA itself is increasingly targeted in the conflict. Lazzarini said the agency has lost at least 318 staff members in Gaza since 7 October, faces expulsion of international personnel, and is the subject of a disinformation campaign aiming to disrupt its operations and funding.

Despite the challenges, UNRWA continues to deliver critical services: over 15,000 daily health consultations, waste management, and shelter for displaced communities.

But its financial situation is dire.

“Without immediate funding, I will be forced to take unprecedented decisions that could halt our operations,” Lazzarini warned. “The sudden collapse of UNRWA services would deepen suffering and risk sparking unrest across the region. The region simply cannot afford that—especially now.”