Nearly 1 Million at Risk as Yemen's Taiz Faces Famine Amid Blockade and Deadly Airstrike

A worsening humanitarian crisis has pushed Yemen’s western city of Taiz into famine, with nearly one million residents facing severe shortages of food, water, cooking gas and medical supplies. The crisis deepened on Thursday after a Saudi airstrike killed at least 13 people in western Taiz, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.

Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan said the city was already experiencing famine, warning that residents were struggling to survive as Houthi rebels continued to restrict access to essential supplies. The latest blockade has cut off the city’s remaining external water source, leaving residents with only a fraction of the water they need.

Cooking gas supplies have been completely blocked, forcing families to burn wood for cooking and compelling restaurants to shut down. Hospitals are also facing a critical shortage of medical oxygen, putting the lives of patients at risk.

The humanitarian situation has become increasingly desperate, with more than 600,000 people who depend on aid unable to receive assistance. Wheat flour stocks are nearly exhausted, raising fears of an even deeper food crisis.

Shamsan said 271 people had been killed and 1,129 injured since the latest offensive began earlier this month. He also alleged that shelling and sniper attacks were preventing rescue teams from reaching injured civilians, with even makeshift civilian ambulances coming under fire.

Human Rights Watch warned that the blockade, which intensified in early October, could amount to the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare. The organisation called for essential supply routes to be reopened and humanitarian assistance to be allowed into the city.

However, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi rejected allegations of a siege, describing them as fabricated claims by Saudi Arabia. He maintained that routes remained open for food and humanitarian supplies, arguing that his forces were targeting weapons deliveries to Saudi-backed fighters.

The crisis has been further aggravated by displacement, with Taiz receiving around 124,000 people since August as fighting continues elsewhere in Yemen.