Taiz receives first ICRC medical aid in weeks

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it delivered four trucks of essential medical supplies to Yemen's Taiz city on Wednesday, its first medical supply delivery to hospitals there in weeks.

The ICRC said the shipment included surgical kits to help hospitals treat people wounded by weapons. ICRC spokesman Hachem Osseiran said it was the organisation's first such delivery to hospitals in Taiz city since September 23, shortly before fighting intensified in the area.

Houthi fighters have encircled Taiz since early October, blocking the road linking it to Aden, the interim seat of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. The Houthis have denied besieging the city.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the humanitarian situation in Taiz is deteriorating. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Monday that roads were closed, supplies were running out, water production had halved, food prices had risen by at least 50 percent, and hospitals were running out of fuel and medicines.

Fletcher urged the warring parties to open roads and allow aid into the city.