Yemen hospitals overwhelmed by war wounded, ICRC says

Yemen's hospitals are overwhelmed by a growing number of war-wounded patients, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday, warning that the country's fragile health system faces critical shortages.

The ICRC cited an “unprecedented surge” in weapon wounds since Yemen's civil war reignited in July. Feras Abusamra, the ICRC's health coordinator, said only a small share of functioning health facilities can provide comprehensive trauma care, while frontline hospitals are receiving many wounded people with limited surgical materials, anaesthetics, oxygen and medicine.

The ICRC said it had brought in more than 500 tonnes of medical supplies and provided emergency support, prosthetic care and rehabilitation services for people who have lost limbs. Christine Cipolla, the ICRC's Yemen delegation chief, said the system may have little capacity left to absorb a major rise in casualties.

The UN's World Food Programme also warned that fighting had cut off its access to 800,000 people, with shifting front lines restricting aid, especially to Taiz. The WFP said more than 18 million people across Yemen face acute food insecurity and about 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished.

The WFP said it needs $268 million to sustain emergency food assistance and humanitarian logistics services in Yemen through 2027.