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Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
Iran, US sign precarious deal to end war
The United States and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding that aims to end the war the US and Israel launched on Iran on 28 February. The 14-point agreement, signed by Donald Trump at a gathering hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in the Palace of Versailles – where the treaty to end World War I was signed in 1919 – opens up the Strait of Hormuz for a 60-day ceasefire window during which the two sides have vowed to negotiate a long-term resolution to the Iranian nuclear standoff. The US will also terminate all sanctions against Iran, provide $300 billion for post-war reconstruction, and unlock all frozen Iranian funds and assets. The four months of war killed at least 7,300 people in Iran and Lebanon, including more than 100 Iranian schoolgirls on the first day of the fighting. Israel, the other belligerent, has lashed out at Washington over the deal while continuing to attack Lebanon (see below). The Israeli cabinet’s harsh words towards Washington led to a strong rebuke from US Vice-President JD Vance. In an initial sign of the still-rocky road ahead, Vance’s trip to Switzerland on 19 June for talks on implementing the deal was abruptly cancelled.
Israel continues to bomb Lebanon as more war crimes alleged
Despite – or possibly because – of the signing of an MoU between the US and Iran that is supposed to include an end to fighting in Lebanon, fighting has flared again, with the Israeli military reportedly killing 18 people in south Lebanon overnight on 18-19 June. The rash of airstrikes followed Hezbollah’s killing of four Israeli soldiers in a southern Lebanese village, and furious statements from politicians such as Israeli’s extreme-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said “all of Lebanon must burn”. Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report finding that Israel has radically expanded its mass “evacuation” orders as well as “don’t come back” orders, which it says “have been used as a deliberate tool to forcibly displace civilians” and prevent many of them from returning home. This, the rights watchdog says, amounts to “unlawful transfer”, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime. Read this to hear what forced displacement in Lebanon is really like, from people who have been through it.
Warnings multiply as Ebola cases surge in DRC
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could become the “worst ever”, senior health officials are warning. At the time of publishing, there had been 915 confirmed cases and 234 deaths since the outbreak was declared on 15 May – the highest death toll at this stage of an epidemic (although it may have been detected later than others). Even before the very latest figures, the number of cases had increased 38% in less than a week and experts warn the outbreak is yet to peak. The virus is also spreading geographically in conflict-affected eastern DRC and, at the current rate of infection, the epidemic could last a year. The violence, population displacement, and distrust of authorities in the region makes contact tracing and care all the harder. Financing is another hurdle. Donors have so far pledged $910 million, including $80 million from African Union member states. But less than 10% of those IOUs have turned into cash, according to Africa CDC. The West Africa Ebola 2014-2016 outbreak is currently the worst on record, killing more than 11,000 people. For more, read: Ebola outbreak: A crisis of history, not misinformation.
G7 leaders double down as humanitarian trends grow clearer
The humanitarian donor landscape is shifting amid shrinking funding, millions of people in need are being “erased from view”, and reforms meant to improve the system are backsliding, a new report warns. The Global Humanitarian Assistance report by analysis group ALNAP is the latest snapshot of a system in crisis mode after repeated cuts and the US destruction of its foreign aid. Some of the deeper analysis shows “fragmentation and misaligned interests” as top donors cut back and become more explicitly transactional, and as other donors set out their own priorities. Aid organisations could be “caught between competing interests”, the report states. If you were wondering whether humanitarian and development donor trends will reverse, there are not-so-subtle clues from the June G7 summit in Évian, France. A declaration on “mutually beneficial international partnerships” spoke of the need for “self-finance”, private capital, and prioritising “strategic interests”. Traditional development aid, leaders said, has achieved “important results” but has become “overly complex” and has had “limited impact in reducing financial dependency on external assistance, strengthening country ownership, and creating pro-growth incentives”. Oxfam said G7 leaders have “doubled down on the fiction” that the private sector will replace public funding: “Rebranding it as ‘mutually beneficial international partnerships’ does not change the reality for those left behind.”
After WFP cyber-attack, more calls for humanitarians to examine their data protection
The World Food Programme must agree to and publish an independent investigation into the cyber-attack that exposed sensitive data belonging to a large swathe of Gaza’s population, several civil society groups say. The statement from digital rights group Access Now and others also demands that humanitarian agencies stop deploying data-driven digital tools until they weigh the costs, benefits, risks, and the power imbalances that force Gazans to hand over their information. Data belonging to 600,000 households – WFP won’t say how many people this represents – was breached in a 14 May attack. It may be the biggest breach of humanitarian beneficiary data ever, but WFP didn’t notify Gazans for 17 days, and has not responded to The New Humanitarian’s questions since 3 June. Israel’s military uses AI targeting systems powered by mass surveillance data, the Access Now statement notes: “The data exposed in this breach is exactly the kind of information that fuels the targeting of civilians.” The organisations called it, “yet another shocking reminder of the consequences of pervasive mass personal data collection by humanitarian actors in the name of faster aid delivery and cost efficiency”.
MSF dismisses staff in Chad over abuse of Sudanese refugees
Médecins Sans Frontières has dismissed 18 staff in eastern Chad after an internal investigation identified 59 allegations of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse involving Sudanese refugees. The allegations of abuse were first reported in November 2024 and survivors included women and underage girls. Cases documented in the MSF report involved demands for sex in return for food, water, jobs, and money, as well as Chadian employees threatened with dismissal if they refused to have sex with supervisors or colleagues. The report also mentions efforts by community leaders to implement a curfew to prevent young girls visiting MSF staff. An MSF statement notes the organisation “sent multiple investigation teams to proactively detect and investigate cases” but makes no mention of involving Chadian authorities even though these are crimes under Chadian law. It continues the pattern of international agencies investigating themselves whenever allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse arise.
Weekend read
As a father in Gaza, the new home I am building for my children is a nylon tent
Journalist Mohamed al-Astal reflects on trying to support his five children and provide them with basic shelter in post-ceasefire Gaza.
And finally…
“Noble catfishing”?
The new Syrian government arrested a former intelligence agent named Amjad Youssef a few months ago, accusing him of playing a major role in the mass killings of civilians in April 2013, in what became known as the “Tadamon massacre”. The story behind the lead-up to the arrest, in which an Amsterdam-based Syrian academic worked with a Turkish colleague to convince Youssef to admit to his horrific crimes, is fascinating. Their act of what this Guardian review calls “noble catfishing” is the subject of a newly-released documentary called “Killing Anna”. The film is showing in London at the Bertha Dochouse from 19 June, and appears to be on the festival circuit, so check out if it’s at a cinema near you.
