Yemen violence kills nearly 1,700 since August: WHO

The World Health Organization reported Thursday that nearly 1,700 people have been killed and over 7,000 wounded in Yemen since August amid renewed military clashes between government forces and Houthi rebels, with casualty rates averaging 93 per day during the final week of October alone. In its latest situation report, the agency documented 1,677 deaths and 7,395 injuries during the four-month period, including 559 casualties recorded between October 20 and 25.

Medical facilities under pressure

Fighting remained concentrated in the governorates of Taiz, Lahj, and Marib, while lower casualty figures were registered in Aden, Al-Dhalea, and Shabwa, according to the health body. The WHO said it delivered 56 trauma and emergency kits to Taiz on October 24 alongside approximately 30 metric tons of medical supplies for three hospitals and one health center, including 46 kits for trauma care and 10 for emergency health services.

The agency warned, however, that only six of 31 mobile medical teams remained operational in Marib, leaving residents struggling to access health services amid damaged facilities and critical supply gaps. Al-Thawra General Hospital in Taiz city came under fire on October 20, leaving three soldiers and one patient injured, the WHO stated, noting that continued disruption to essential services and shortages of medicines, fuel, and water were increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.

Resurgence in strategic provinces

Taiz, Yemen's most populous province, remains divided between government forces and the Houthis, with government troops controlling the provincial capital and other portions of the territory. Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.