Daily Peace and Crisis Report

Compiled March 12, 2026, 08:08 AEDT

1. US-Israel War on Iran

The US-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its twelfth day on 11 March 2026, with both sides showing no sign of imminent de-escalation. US President Donald Trump told Axios on Wednesday that the war may end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left" to bomb, adding: "Any time I want it to end, it will end." However, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated the operation would continue "without any time limit, as long as required." Al Jazeera

The World Health Organization reported on 11 March that national health authorities in Iran have recorded more than 1,300 deaths and 9,000 injuries since the conflict began on 28 February. In Lebanon, at least 570 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured as a result of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds. In Israel, authorities report 15 deaths and 2,142 injuries. WHO has verified 18 attacks on health care facilities in Iran and 25 in Lebanon since 28 February. WHO

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera that at least 1,255 people had been killed in Iran as of 9 March, including 200 children and 11 healthcare workers, with more than 12,000 wounded. He stated that more than 200 cities across Iran had been struck and insisted that the targets were "mostly civilian." Al Jazeera

The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to commercial shipping following Iranian mining and naval operations. Three cargo vessels were attacked near the strait on 11 March. US Central Command reported on 10 March that US forces had destroyed 16 Iranian minelayers near Hormuz. The blockade has sent oil prices soaring past $100 per barrel, spreading economic uncertainty globally. AP

Iran's Supreme Leader was killed in the opening strikes on 28 February, and Iran's Assembly of Experts has since chosen Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor — a move widely seen as a declaration of defiance. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on 11 March that Iran's conditions for ending the war include compensation for the assault and "firm international guarantees" against future aggression. Al Jazeera

The Hengaw human rights organisation reported that at least 4,300 people have been killed in the first ten days of the conflict, including 390 civilians (9.6% of total casualties), with 3,910 being members of Iranian government military forces. Hengaw

Hezbollah claimed 29 attacks on Israeli positions in a single 24-hour period on 10 March — the highest number of claimed attacks in a single day since the start of the current conflict, according to the Institute for the Study of War. ISW

2. Gaza Strip and the Occupied West Bank

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire as the regional escalation of conflict has placed humanitarian partners on high alert. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as reported by OCHA, between 26 February and 5 March, 18 Palestinians were killed and 41 injured in the Strip. Since the ceasefire began on 10 October 2025, at least 631 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, according to OHCHR. UNRWA Situation Report #212

Since the beginning of the war on 7 October 2023 and up to 16 February 2026, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 72,063 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip. All crossings into Gaza except Kerem Shalom remain closed. Medical evacuations are still on hold, and a limited number of commercial supplies have been permitted to enter. According to WHO, 46 per cent of essential medicines and 66 per cent of medical consumables are currently out of stock. UNRWA Situation Report #211

The Gaza ceasefire agreement, which calls for Hamas to disarm and Israeli forces to withdraw fully, has stalled. Talks on implementing the second phase of the ceasefire remain deadlocked, with the broader regional conflict drawing attention away from Gaza negotiations. Trump's Gaza plan has been placed on hold as the Iran war takes priority. Reuters

In the occupied West Bank, three Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli settlers on 7 March, marking six deaths from settler violence since the beginning of 2026. Between 7 October 2023 and 7 March 2026, 1,062 Palestinians — at least 231 of them children — were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Heightened movement restrictions remain in place across the West Bank since the regional conflict began on 28 February. UNRWA; Reuters

The Egyptian and Cypriot presidents called on 8 March for adherence to the Gaza ceasefire and stressed the need to allow unhindered humanitarian aid into the territory. The European Union's foreign policy spokesperson stated that "the level of violence in the West Bank is unacceptable." WAFA; EEAS

3. Lebanon

Lebanon has been drawn back into turmoil as the US-Israel war on Iran has reignited hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. More than 700,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, with many sheltering in crowded collective facilities under deteriorating public health conditions. Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and Hezbollah strongholds have forced mass evacuations, with 49 primary health-care centres and five hospitals shut following Israeli military evacuation orders. WHO

Three Ghanaian UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL were injured in an attack on their base in southwestern Lebanon on 6 March. France condemned the attack in the strongest terms. The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon warned that the country has been "dragged back into turmoil" and called on all parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement of 26 November 2024 and Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL; UN Peacekeeping

4. Russia-Ukraine War

Fighting continued across multiple fronts in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching 99 attack drones — including 70 Shahed-type drones — at Ukraine over the past day. Ukraine's air force reported shooting down 122 out of 137 drones launched overnight. At least four people were killed and 16 wounded in Russian guided bomb attacks on the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast on 10 March. A Russian drone struck the district police department in Sumy Oblast on 11 March, destroying the building and injuring 22 police officers. Al Jazeera; Kyiv Independent (Ukr)

Ukraine's General Staff reported on 9 March that Russia has lost approximately 1,274,040 troops since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, including 750 casualties in the preceding 24-hour period. Russia has also lost 11,745 tanks, 24,167 armoured combat vehicles, and 166,640 drones, according to Ukrainian military figures. A January 2026 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated Ukraine has suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties, with 100,000 to 140,000 killed in action. Kyiv Independent (Ukr)

Ukrainian forces have reportedly retaken nearly all territory of the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk industrial region during a counteroffensive, driving Russian troops out of more than 400 square kilometres, according to Major-General Oleksandr Komarenko. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that recent Ukrainian counterattacks "are generating tactical, operational and strategic effects that may disrupt Russia's spring-summer 2026 offensive campaign plan." ISW

US-brokered trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have been postponed amid the Middle East escalation. US special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC on 10 March that the next round of talks would likely be "sometime next week." Ukrainian President Zelenskyy confirmed the postponement but said Kyiv is "ready for negotiations with Moscow at any moment." Turkey has offered to host the next round. Al Jazeera; Anadolu Agency

A UN investigation found that the deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children since Russia's invasion has amounted to "crimes against humanity." The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President Putin and five other Russian officials in 2023 over the alleged illegal deportation of children, which Moscow denies. Al Jazeera

5. Sudan

Sudan's civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to intensify as the conflict approaches its third year. On 11 March, an RSF drone strike killed at least nine students and a medical worker at a secondary school in Shikiri, White Nile State, with 17 others injured. The attack was the third consecutive day of aerial bombardments targeting civilian infrastructure in the region. Previous days saw drone strikes on a university dormitory in Kosti and the Um Dabaker thermal power plant. Sudan Tribune

New evidence published by Yale's Human Rights Lab and Stanford University's CISAC on 10 March documents starvation crimes in Darfur, with satellite imagery showing the systematic burning and destruction of 41 agrarian villages northwest of El Fasher. The World Food Programme warned that without fresh contributions, food stocks in Sudan will start depleting from March onwards. FAO requires USD 230.5 million under its 2026–2028 Emergency and Resilience Plan to support 12.4 million people. The Guardian; WFP

Two mass graves have been discovered around Khartoum, with local sources attributing the killings to RSF forces. Al Jazeera reported on 11 March that regional rivalries are deepening Sudan's devastating war, though the fallout from the Iran conflict could push Gulf rivals to cooperate, potentially opening space for diplomacy. Al Jazeera

6. Myanmar

Myanmar's military junta carried out fresh airstrikes on a trading junction in the central Magway region, killing more than 25 people and injuring 20 others, according to OCHA. Three children were among six civilians killed in a separate junta airstrike on Palaw on 10 March. The UN reported that more than 3.6 million people are displaced nationwide, with humanitarian organisations focusing on the 2.6 million individuals with the most severe needs. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan calls for $890 million to reach 4.9 million people. UN News

Five years after the February 2021 coup, Myanmar's crisis continues to deepen. A new report documents over 6,000 civilians killed in 20 months since the coup — significantly higher than previously reported. More than 100,000 homes have been destroyed by the junta, and 15 million people face food insecurity. Access challenges, shrinking funding, and insecurity are making it increasingly difficult for humanitarian agencies to deliver support. UN News

7. South Sudan

South Sudan faces the risk of a return to full-scale civil war as government forces ordered civilians and aid agencies to vacate the town of Akobo near the Ethiopian border ahead of planned military operations. The county hosts approximately 270,000 displaced people — more than half women and children — making it "a critical refuge for people fleeing violence." UN peacekeepers defied the military's order to leave, maintaining their presence in the town. PBS NewsHour; UN News

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged an immediate ceasefire on 10 March, warning of mounting war crimes fears. Fighting has escalated since December 2025 after opposition forces seized government positions in Jonglei State. The UN Humanitarian Country Team warned that "any military action in or around such a densely populated area would expose civilians to grave danger and risk triggering a catastrophic humanitarian crisis." OHCHR

8. Afghanistan

Women in Afghanistan are nearly four times less likely than men to have access to formal justice mechanisms, with only 14 per cent of women reporting access to formal dispute-resolution services compared to 53 per cent of men, according to UNAMA. The Taliban's "Decree No. 12," issued earlier in 2026, criminalises criticism of the authorities and further limits women's ability to seek help. A UN Special Rapporteur report warned that Taliban policies are driving a health and human rights crisis for women. UN News; Feminist Majority Foundation

Cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan from 26 February to 5 March 2026 resulted in 56 civilian deaths and 129 injuries, with women and children accounting for 55 per cent of casualties. UNAMA reiterated its call for all parties to implement measures to prevent civilian harm and to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening as the Middle East war disrupts global aid supply chains. UN News

9. International Cooperation and Peacekeeping

The UN Secretary-General's relief chief warned the Security Council on 11 March that the conflict in the Middle East is straining humanitarian operations worldwide, disrupting supply chains and diverting attention and resources from other crises. Temporary airspace restrictions have disrupted the movement of medical supplies from WHO's global logistics hub in Dubai, affecting more than 50 emergency supply requests intended to benefit over 1.5 million people across 25 countries. Reuters; WHO

Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 115 million people require humanitarian assistance — almost half of all people in need globally — while humanitarian health emergency appeals remain 70 per cent underfunded. WHO called on all parties to protect civilians and health care, ensure unimpeded humanitarian access, and pursue de-escalation. WHO

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion on 11 March examining the role of UN peacekeeping in the absence of US support, reflecting growing concern about the sustainability of multilateral peace operations amid shifting US foreign policy priorities. Carnegie Endowment

10. Key Statistics

This report is compiled from publicly available sources. All figures are as reported by the cited sources and may be subject to revision. Sources with known national or editorial perspectives are tagged accordingly: (Ukr) = Ukrainian outlet; (Rus) = Russian state media.