Israeli airstrikes in Yemen threaten humanitarian disaster, warns Doctors Without Borders

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s key civilian infrastructure have raised the risk of a worsening humanitarian disaster in the country, international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Thursday.

According to Yemen’s Health Ministry, at least seven people were killed and 97 others injured in the strikes targeting the Hodeida port on May 5 and Sana’a airport on May 6.

"These attacks have damaged important civilian infrastructure in a country already devastated by more than a decade of war and violence,” MSF said in a statement.

"Primarily, it is civilians who will suffer the consequences of these acts of violence," the statement said.

Dennis Habaasa, MSF’s head of mission in Yemen, warned that the escalation threatens to disrupt the flow of critical supplies and access to healthcare.

"There is a threat of a humanitarian disaster in Yemen, especially in the north of the country, due to the disruption of critical supplies and a lack of access to healthcare," he said.

MSF said it was already facing difficulties delivering supplies to Yemen, particularly to medical facilities in the northern part of the country. The destruction of Sana’a airport and Hodeida port, both essential entry points for humanitarian aid, would be "devastating," the group said.

The organization called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and demanded the unimpeded flow of food, fuel, medicine and other critical humanitarian supplies into Yemen.

Millions in Yemen remain in urgent need of aid, with the ongoing conflict continuing to compound the country’s humanitarian crisis.