Sanaa Health Ministry: 562 Casualties recorded over 100 days of Saudi escalation
TAIZ, Oct. 21 (YPA) – The Ministry of Public Health and Population in the Sanaa-based government announced on Wednesday that 562 people have been killed or wounded as a cumulative toll resulting from 100 days of Saudi military escalation in Yemen.
Addressing a press conference held at the Central Taiz Hospital in Al-Taiziyah District, Taiz Governorate, Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi detailed the civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian impacts stemming from the ongoing closure of Sanaa International Airport and the targeting of vital infrastructure.
The escalation began on July 13, 2026, following strikes on Sanaa International Airport that officials described as provocative steps ending the de-escalation path. Dr. Al-Asbahi stated that the total casualties reached 562, comprising 155 deaths and 407 injuries.
Taiz Governorate recorded the highest share of casualties, exceeding 33% of the total human losses, followed by Saada, Jawf, and other governorates at varying rates. The spokesperson noted that Saudi forces intensified attacks between October 16 and 18, resulting in 117 casualties—including 29 dead and 88 wounded—within a 48-hour window.
Detailing the distribution of fatalities between September 3 and October 18, Dr. Al-Asbahi reported 41 deaths in Taiz, 36 in Saada, 20 in Jawf, and 18 in Dhamar.
Highlighting recent massacres, the spokesperson pointed to an airstrike on October 18 targeting the home of citizen Ali Al-Qahm in Sahar District, Saada, killing more than ten civilians and injuring 23 others, predominantly women and children, including seven child fatalities and 12 critically wounded children.
Another airstrike hit fishing boats off the coast of Al-Kadahah in Thubab District, Taiz, killing eight fishermen in consecutive raids. Additionally, the bombing of a residential home in Al-Nashmah, Al-Ma’afir District, left a mother and her three children severely injured.
Dr. Al-Asbahi warned of an unprecedented collapse in the pharmaceutical sector driven by the blockade and the closure of Sanaa International Airport, which he termed collective punishment. More than 1,600 medicine types have disappeared from the local market, and 83 major international pharmaceutical companies have halted imports to Yemen.
Furthermore, over 100 tons of vital and refrigerated medicines shipped through Djibouti were spoiled due to poor storage and transport bottlenecks. Stocks of 12 oncology drug varieties have been depleted, while over 40,000 thalassemia and blood disorder patients were cut off from iron-chelating agents and specialized solutions. The restrictions have also blocked the entry of radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer patients and tissue-matching reagents, forcing medical staff to alter treatment protocols and worsening daily mortality rates.
Regarding health infrastructure, Dr. Al-Asbahi stated that systematic targeting has affected more than 554 health facilities since 2015, including 139 hospitals completely destroyed, alongside widespread devastation of health centers and ambulances—most recently targeting an ambulance belonging to Al-Demnah Hospital in Taiz. Over 60 emergency response personnel have been killed in the line of duty.
The ministry spokesperson condemned international and United Nations silence regarding these violations of humanitarian conventions and international humanitarian law, characterizing UN inaction and unheeded appeals as complicity that encourages the continuation of war crimes against civilians and civilian objects across various governorates.
YPA