Daily Peace and Crisis Report

Compiled March 07, 2026, 08:04 AEDT

1. US-Israel War on Iran: Day Seven of Operation Epic Fury

The United States and Israel continued their military campaign against Iran on Friday, marking the seventh day of what has been codenamed Operation Epic Fury. The conflict, which began on 28 February 2026 with coordinated strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, has rapidly escalated into the most significant Middle East war in decades, drawing in Lebanon, Gulf states, and triggering global economic shockwaves.

According to Al Jazeera's live tracker, the death toll in Iran has risen to at least 1,332 people, with preliminary figures also recording at least 11 killed in Israel, six US soldiers killed, and nine killed across Gulf states. The Israeli military claims to have achieved "near-complete air superiority", stating it has carried out 2,500 strikes and destroyed 80 percent of Iran's air defence systems.

The deadliest single incident of the war occurred on 28 February when a strike destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary girls' school in Minab, southern Iran, while classes were in session. According to the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson, approximately 168 girls were killed in the attack. UNICEF has confirmed that at least 20 schools have been damaged across Iran since the campaign began, and the World Health Organization has verified 13 attacks on healthcare sites. CNN and other outlets have reported evidence suggesting US responsibility for the school strike, though neither the US nor Israel has formally claimed it.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched 23 waves of counter-strikes, though the US says Iran's ballistic missile attacks have fallen by 90 percent since the first day of the conflict, and drone attacks by 83 percent. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on Saturday, triggering a succession crisis. US President Donald Trump has publicly stated his intention to play a direct role in selecting Iran's next leader, calling Khamenei's son Mojtaba an "unacceptable" choice.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates the first 100 hours of the operation cost $3.7 billion — approximately $891 million per day — with most of this expenditure unbudgeted. The US House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 against an effort to halt the war and require congressional authorisation for hostilities against Iran. (Al Jazeera)

Gulf State Impact: Iranian missiles and drones have struck targets across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. Kuwait suspended operations at the US embassy following retaliatory strikes. An Iranian missile hit a state-run oil refinery in Bahrain. Qatar reported being targeted by a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. The Strait of Hormuz — through which nearly one-fifth of global oil transits — has been effectively closed to commercial shipping, sending oil prices surging and causing the Dow Jones to plummet by more than 1,000 points earlier in the week. About 20,000 Americans have left the Middle East since the conflict began.

Regional Escalation: Iraq's forces shot down a drone targeting a military base with US assets near Baghdad International Airport. Iran struck Kurdish groups near the Iran-Iraq border. Azerbaijan reported a drone attack on its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, with Iran and Azerbaijan's foreign ministers discussing the incident. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned his country is economically in a "state of near-emergency" as the conflict threatens to drive up prices. (Al Jazeera)

2. Lebanon: Escalating Israeli Offensive

Lebanon has been drawn into the wider Middle East war following Hezbollah's decision to open a second front in support of Iran. Since Israeli strikes on Lebanon began on Monday 2 March, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reports at least 217 people killed and 798 wounded, with an estimated 95,000 people displaced. (Al Jazeera, 6 March 2026)

Israeli airstrikes have targeted Beirut's southern suburbs (Dahiyeh), southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley. The Israeli army claims to have conducted 26 rounds of attacks on Dahiyeh alone, targeting Hezbollah's Executive Council headquarters and drone storage facilities. Israel has also struck more than 500 targets in Lebanon this week. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the situation as "a devastating war that we did not seek and did not choose," warning that the humanitarian and political consequences "may well be unprecedented."

Blanket displacement orders issued by the Israeli military have emptied whole suburbs of Beirut. More than 100,000 people are sheltering in collective centres across Lebanon, with hospitals in South Beirut forced to suspend operations on 5 March. Over 30,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria in the past week. Missiles struck the headquarters of Ghana's UN peacekeeping battalion in southern Lebanon, critically injuring two soldiers. UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in position.

The UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said Israel's "blanket, massive displacement orders" — affecting hundreds of thousands of people — "raises serious concern under international humanitarian law." The ICRC noted that evacuation orders affect the elderly, persons with disabilities, and the sick, for whom evacuation is "not always feasible." (UN News, 6 March 2026)

3. Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as reported by UNRWA Situation Report #211 (covering through 3 March 2026), the cumulative death toll since 7 October 2023 has reached 72,120 Palestinians killed and 171,802 wounded in the Gaza Strip. An additional 1,058 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, including at least 231 children.

Israel closed all crossings into Gaza on 28 February, suspending medical evacuations and raising acute concerns about food security and fuel supplies. The Kerem Shalom crossing was partially reopened on 3 March for "gradual entry of humanitarian aid," though the WHO warned on 6 March that medical supplies in Gaza are running "critically low" despite the reopening. UNRWA reports that approximately 73,000 displaced people are living in UNRWA collective emergency shelters. An estimated 618 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire that began in October 2025.

The broader Middle East conflict is severely compounding Gaza's crisis. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the supply chain for humanitarian goods, with shelter items, tarps, tents and lamps "stuck in different stages, unable to now arrive," according to IOM. An UNOPS oil tanker was struck on 5 March while en route to collect fuel for distribution inside Gaza. All UNRWA international staff remain barred from entering the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following Israeli laws enacted in October 2024. (UNRWA)

In the West Bank, increased Israeli checkpoint closures since the regional escalation began on 28 February have severely restricted Palestinian movement. On 5 March, eight Palestinian families (45 people) were forcibly displaced from Shakara in Nablus governorate following settler attacks and intimidation. On 3 March, two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli settlers in Qaryut, Nablus. (UN Press Briefing)

4. Ukraine-Russia War: Peace Talks Postponed

Ukraine-Russia peace talks, which had been brokered by the United States and were scheduled for this week, have been postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak of the Iran war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the postponement on 5 March, noting that both the US and Ukraine had discussed delaying the next round of trilateral talks. (Reuters, 5 March 2026)

According to Russia Matters' War Report Card (a Western but nuanced source), Russian forces gained 46 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the four-week period from 3 February to 3 March 2026 — a significant slowdown from the 123 square miles gained in the preceding four-week period. In the most recent week (24 February to 3 March), Russia gained 25 square miles. Russia now controls approximately 29,183 square miles of Ukrainian territory seized since the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, representing about 13 percent of Ukraine.

Military casualty estimates remain staggering. A late-February 2026 estimate from a highly-informed former high-ranking Western official cited by Russia Matters puts Russian military casualties (killed and wounded) at 1,000,000, and Ukrainian military casualties at 250,000–300,000. UN figures record 15,954 Ukrainian civilians killed and 8,000 Russian civilians killed. Ukraine has 10.6 million displaced persons — 24 percent of its pre-invasion population — including 3.7 million international refugees.

Russian Perspective: Russian state media and officials have framed the US-Israel war on Iran as evidence of Western aggression, using it to argue for continued Russian military operations in Ukraine. A record high of 67 percent of Russians support peace negotiations, according to recent polling cited by Russia Matters. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed on 5 March that NATO allies will continue supporting Ukraine despite the Iran situation. (Reuters)

Ukraine has announced it will support US air defence efforts against Iranian Shahed drone strikes in the Middle East, drawing on its extensive experience countering such weapons. (Institute for the Study of War, 5 March 2026)

5. Pakistan-Afghanistan: Escalating Border War

Fighting between Pakistan's military and Afghanistan's Taliban-led de facto authorities has intensified sharply since late February 2026, with analysts describing the situation as an "open war" between the two countries. Pakistan has conducted airstrikes on Afghan cities including Kabul, striking the symbolic Bagram Air Base, while Afghanistan claims its forces have killed 150 Pakistani soldiers since the fighting began.

According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), from late evening 26 February to 5 March, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) verified 56 Afghan civilians killed and 129 injured due to indirect fire and aerial attacks. Fifty-five percent of recorded civilian casualties were women and children. In Pakistan, shelling has forced people to flee their homes and at least two schools have been struck.

UNHCR reports that 115,000 people have been internally displaced in Afghanistan and approximately 3,000 in Pakistan as a result of the fighting. Nearly 22 million Afghans — close to half the population — already require humanitarian assistance. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk pleaded with both sides to end the fighting immediately, noting that "the cycle of retaliation and violence only deepens the suffering of the wider population." The Taliban has indicated willingness to negotiate following Pakistani strikes on Kabul. (Al Jazeera, 4 March 2026)

6. Sudan: Approaching Three Years of War

Sudan is approaching the third anniversary of its devastating civil war (which began in April 2023) with the humanitarian situation continuing to deteriorate. The UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council that civilian deaths in Sudan more than doubled in 2025 compared with the previous year, with a former US envoy to Sudan estimating the total death toll may exceed 400,000, making it potentially the deadliest war in the world. (Guam PDN/AFP, 28 February 2026)

The World Food Programme reports that Sudan faces the world's largest hunger crisis, with 25 million people experiencing acute food insecurity and 638,000 facing catastrophic hunger. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war is further disrupting humanitarian supply chains to Sudan, with IOM warning that if supplies do not arrive within six to eight weeks, it will be "very, very difficult" to reach populations in Darfur before the rainy season. (UN News, 6 March 2026)

7. South Sudan: Mass Killing in Ruweng

At least 178 people were killed — including 90 civilians (women, children and elderly) and 79 regional security forces — in an attack by unidentified armed assailants on a town in South Sudan's Ruweng Administrative Area on Sunday, 1 March 2026. The attack on Abiemnhom County is one of the deadliest single incidents of violence in South Sudan in recent years. (BBC, 3 March 2026; Reuters, 2 March 2026)

MSF separately reported that 26 humanitarian workers are missing following recent violence in the region. South Sudan's crisis is compounded by the ongoing war in neighbouring Sudan, which has driven a large influx of refugees and returnees across the border. The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has warned that the country faces the risk of renewed large-scale conflict.

8. Democratic Republic of Congo: Ceasefire Violations and Mine Disaster

The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes (ICG) demanded on 6 March an immediate end to ceasefire violations in eastern DRC, expressing "profound concern" over continued violations of the Washington-brokered ceasefire between the Congolese government and M23 rebels. The United States sanctioned Rwanda's army and four top commanders on 3 March, accusing them of supporting M23 rebels in eastern DRC. (Al Jazeera, 3 March 2026)

In a separate tragedy, more than 200 people were killed — including approximately 70 children — in a landslide at a coltan mine in eastern DRC on 4 March 2026. (Al Jazeera, 4 March 2026) By September 2025, 8.2 million Congolese were displaced, with projections of 9 million by the end of 2026.

9. Global Humanitarian Impact and International Response

The convergence of multiple crises is placing extraordinary strain on the global humanitarian system. The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefed the Security Council on 6 March, warning of cascading effects from the Middle East conflict on humanitarian operations worldwide. The Strait of Hormuz closure has disrupted supply chains for aid to Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and other emergencies. FAO reported on 6 March that global food prices rose in February for the first time in five months, and that 41 countries require external assistance for food — mostly in Africa.

UNHCR has declared the escalating Middle East crisis a major humanitarian emergency requiring an immediate regional response. Nearly 25 million people in the affected areas are already refugees, internally displaced or recent returnees. The UN Secretary-General has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts and a return to serious diplomatic negotiations, warning that "the stakes could not be higher." (UN Press Briefing, 6 March 2026)

International Women's Day falls on Sunday 8 March, with the UN marking the occasion under the theme "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls." The Commission on the Status of Women's 70th session (CSW70) will take place 9–19 March at UN Headquarters in New York. The Secretary-General has stressed that "discriminatory laws continue to shape every aspect of women's lives," and that women and girls in conflict zones — from Gaza to Sudan to Afghanistan — bear a disproportionate burden of violence and displacement.

Key Statistics: Conflicts and Crises

This report is compiled from publicly available primary sources including UN News, UNRWA, OHCHR, Al Jazeera, Reuters, BBC, Russia Matters, WFP, and others. Statistics reflect the most recent available figures at time of compilation. All figures are subject to revision as situations develop. This report is produced for informational and educational purposes in support of peace advocacy.