Yemen’s Ministry of Health and Environment held an expanded press conference on Saturday detailing the catastrophic health and humanitarian situation resulting from the US-Saudi aggression and siege imposed on Yemen, confirming that the impact of these policies has reached unprecedented levels threatening the lives of millions.
According to the ministry spokesman, the total number of martyrs and wounded has reached approximately 60,000—including 24,000 martyrs and 36,000 wounded. Children have been among the most affected groups, with 8,262 children counted among the dead and wounded, including 3,243 child martyrs and 5,019 wounded children.
Female casualties totaled 6,686, including 3,250 martyred women and 3,436 wounded women. The spokesman added that over 1.4 million citizens have died as a result of the compounded effects of the siege, the spread of diseases, and malnutrition—reflecting the accelerating scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.
The ministry confirmed that 69 medical and ambulance personnel were targeted while performing their humanitarian duties, with 66 killed. The aggression has employed internationally prohibited weapons, including aerial, artillery, and rocket bombardment, alongside sniper fire, landmine explosions, and cluster munitions—causing direct damage to health facilities.
According to the ministry, the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression has destroyed:
- 670 health facilities and ambulances
- 165 facilities completely destroyed
- 376 facilities partially destroyed
- 129 ambulances destroyed by direct bombardment
- 21 hospitals completely destroyed
- 51 hospitals partially destroyed
- One pharmaceutical factory completely destroyed
- Two oxygen plants directly destroyed
Initial estimated losses to health infrastructure are approximately $7 billion.
The ministry warned of an imminent threat to patients suffering from thalassemia and hereditary hemolysis, with over 40,000 patients facing the risk of death due to medicine shortages and the prevention of supplies through Sana’a International Airport.
The ministry reported that 684 patients have died out of 8,430 continuing their treatment at the Yemeni Thalassemia Patients Association’s treatment center.
The continued aggression and siege have led to more than 95 percent of foreign medical personnel working in Yemen departing, exacerbating pressure on the health sector and increasing the suffering of patients and wounded.
The Ministry of Health and Environment emphasized that these statistics reflect the magnitude of the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Yemeni people, calling on the international community to intervene urgently to lift the siege, protect civilians, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
This press conference, held on the 11th anniversary of the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen, presents a comprehensive accounting of the war’s impact on Yemen’s health sector. The figures, which the ministry attributes to US-Saudi-Emirati aggression, align with broader UN and humanitarian organization assessments that have consistently documented the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The reported figures of 60,000 direct casualties and 1.4 million indirect deaths underscore the brutality nature of the aggression, where the blockade’s economic and health impacts have far exceeded direct combat casualties.
Source: Almasirah English Website
