China to Provide Emergency Humanitarian Aid to Four Gulf Nations
Beijing – The Chinese government has announced its decision to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to four Gulf nations: Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.
“China has announced its decision to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. We hope this aid can help alleviate the difficult humanitarian situation currently faced by the people there,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stated that nearly 25 million people have been affected by significant military escalation in the Middle East, including those in Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Gulf states, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
“China remains committed to a vision of building a community with a shared future for humankind, the spirit of internationalism, and humanitarian principles,” Lin Jian added.
The ongoing conflict has created a heartbreaking humanitarian disaster for the people and nations in the region, including Iran, Lin Jian noted. “China extends deep sympathy to the people in the affected countries, and our hearts share in their pain,” he said.
Lin Jian stated that China will continue to work towards achieving a ceasefire, restoring peace and stability in the region as quickly as possible, and preventing the humanitarian crisis from spreading further. In Iran, as of 12 March, between 600,000 and 1 million households are temporarily displaced within the country due to the ongoing conflict.
According to UNHCR, this creates a dangerous environment for civilians and humanitarian workers. The UNHCR reception centre and aid channels received more than 250 calls per day from refugees.
In Lebanon, more than 816,700 people are internally displaced across more than 440 collective shelter locations, with the latest figures showing a dramatic increase of 100,000 people in a single day. People are seeking safer areas such as parts of Mount Lebanon, Beirut, northern districts, and parts of the Bekaa Valley.
The UNHCR has distributed more than 65,000 relief items to 22,000 refugees in government shelters within just four days, including mattresses, blankets, jerry cans, solar-powered lamps, and sleeping mats.
Meanwhile, despite already hosting millions of refugees, Syria is experiencing an influx of more than 78,100 Syrian refugees returning and 7,800 Lebanese nationals fleeing Israeli operations in Lebanon.
The situation at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains tense, with an estimated 115,000 in Afghanistan and approximately 3,000 in Pakistan becoming refugees. The situation in Afghanistan is already fragile.
The UNHCR stated that significant funding gaps persist across its operations in affected countries and has appealed to donors to provide much-needed additional support.