Urgent distress appeal to save Taiz and its hospitals from collapse
25 October 2026
The Yemen Women Empowerment Foundation (YWEF) launches an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community, the United Nations and its agencies, led by the World Health Organization (WHO) , Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) , UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) , other medical and humanitarian organizations and international donor institutions, to intervene immediately to save the city of Taiz, its hospitals and health facilities from the risk of collapse.
Taiz faces a worsening health and humanitarian disaster, in light of the siege imposed by the Houthi terrorist militia, and the continuation of its attacks with rockets, missiles, drones, sniping and targeting crimes, which leave dead and wounded civilians, including women and children, and double the burden on hospitals and overstretched medical facilities.
The Foundation confirms that the health sector in Taiz has been subjected to serious attacks, including bombing hospitals, storming health facilities, seizing their equipment and equipment, targeting doctors, paramedics and ambulances, and obstructing the rescue and evacuation of the wounded.
The seriousness of these attacks was exemplified by the incident of targeting an ambulance in Al-Shaqab area in the Directorate of Sabr Al-Mawadim, on October 20, 2026, during an attempt to rescue the girl Taiba Abdel Raqeeb Abdo Abdullah (18 years old), who was injured by Houthi militia bullets, as the car was bombed, killing her paramedic driver. Hossam Noman Al-Jaradi, the accompanying doctor was injured, and the car was destroyed, while the girl died as a result of her injury.
These attacks, along with the siege and the deterioration of health capabilities, have contributed to the departure of approximately 52% of hospitals and medical centers from service, according to the Foundation's estimates, while the remaining facilities operate in very poor conditions and with very low operational capabilities.
The disaster is exacerbated by the spread of fevers and epidemic diseases, including dengue fever, malaria and acute watery diarrhoea, amid the deterioration of water and sanitation services and the weakness of prevention, control and epidemiological surveillance programs, and the shortage of medicines, solutions and diagnostic supplies.
This situation threatens the lives of children, women and the elderly, and compounds the suffering of cancer patients, kidney failure and chronic diseases, and the wounded who need surgical interventions, intensive care and specialized treatment.
In the face of this disaster, the Yemeni Women Empowerment Foundation calls for urgent international medical and humanitarian intervention, including:
1. Rescue hospitals and health centers, restart suspended facilities, rehabilitate damaged ones, compensate destroyed or confiscated devices and equipment, and provide medicines, fuel, and operational financing.
2. Relief for the wounded and injured of Houthi attacks and the provision of surgical operations, intensive care, medical rehabilitation, prosthetic limbs and specialized treatment services.
3. Urgent intervention to combat fevers and epidemics, provide medicines, solutions, laboratory tests and epidemiological response teams, and support prevention, control and water and environmental sanitation programs.
4. Protect doctors, paramedics, medical staff and ambulances and ensure their safe access to the wounded and injured, and provide equipped ambulances and emergency supplies.
5. Conduct urgent medical supply convoys, lift the siege, open safe humanitarian corridors, and ensure unhindered access for the sick, wounded, and medical assistance, giving priority to women, children, and the most vulnerable groups.The Foundation holds the Houthi terrorist militia responsible for its attacks on civilians, health facilities, medical personnel and ambulances, and the deaths, injuries and disabilities they leave, as well as the siege and restrictions that exacerbate the suffering of the population and hinder their access to treatment.
The Foundation appeals to the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and all medical, humanitarian and donor agencies to launch an emergency health response to save the medical sector in Taiz, restart stalled hospitals, combat epidemics and fevers, and protect medical staff and ambulance and rescue operations.
Today, Taiz is seeking help from bleeding wounded, children wounded by sniper bullets and shell fragments, patients ravaged by fever and epidemics, paramedics killed while saving lives, and hospitals struggling to survive with near-collapsed capabilities.
Save Taiz .. Do not let the victims of shelling and sniping face death twice : once under the fire of the Houthi militia, and again because of the absence of treatment, the spread of epidemics and the collapse of hospitals.