Dead and wounded in Taiz and warnings of health services collapse

The siege affairs office in Taiz announced the killing of five civilians and the injury of five others, including children, as a result of Houthi sniper fire in the Al-Aqroud area. It called for urgent intervention to protect civilians and transport the wounded, holding the Houthis responsible. Doctors Without Borders also warned of the repercussions of the situation on healthcare.

The siege affairs office in Taiz governorate, southwestern Yemen, announced the killing of five civilians and the injury of five others, including children, as a result of sniper operations it said the Houthi group carried out in villages in the Al-Aqroud area, part of the Sabr district east of the governorate. The office stated in a statement that Houthi snipers positioned in locations overlooking the villages of Hama, Al-Damnah, and neighboring villages targeted civilians, noting that the continuous gunfire hinders the arrival and evacuation of the wounded. It called for urgent intervention to secure the transport of the wounded to medical facilities and protect residents in the targeted areas. The office considered that targeting civilians and hindering the evacuation of the wounded constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, holding the Houthi group responsible for these incidents. It also called on Yemeni authorities, the armed forces, the Arab coalition, as well as the United Nations and humanitarian and rights organizations, to act to protect civilians, secure the evacuation of the wounded, and stop sniper operations. Taiz governorate is witnessing ongoing confrontations between government forces and the Houthi group, while residential areas, according to local data, are subjected to shelling and gunfire from sniper positions, increasing risks to civilians, especially in villages near front lines. On the humanitarian front, Doctors Without Borders warned of the repercussions of airstrikes and security incidents on the ability of Yemen's population to access healthcare.