Yemen’s Health Ministry Reports 139 Hospitals Destroyed in Saudi Attacks
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, an official from Yemen‘s Ministry of Health and Environment has detailed the extensive damage inflicted upon the nation’s health sector. Speaking at a press conference in Taiz province, Anis Al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the ministry, revealed that 139 hospitals have been completely demolished and around 190 ambulances destroyed as a direct result of attacks and the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia.
Al-Asbahi further stated that approximately 55 percent of Yemen’s health and medical centers have been targeted or rendered inoperable. The ongoing blockade has also led to severe shortages of over 1,600 types of medicines, including 12 critical cancer-related drugs, placing the lives of more than 125,000 cancer patients at grave risk. Additionally, over 40,000 patients suffering from thalassemia and other blood disorders, along with more than 8,000 patients with kidney failure, are struggling with a lack of essential medications, equipment, and medical supplies.
The closure of Sana’a Airport has significantly hampered the ability of numerous patients to seek treatment abroad and has obstructed the transfer of necessary medicines and medical equipment into the country, Al-Asbahi explained.
Expressing deep concern over the nutritional status of children, the spokesperson reported that over 3.6 million children under five years of age are suffering from acute malnutrition, with more than 1.8 million experiencing severe malnutrition. He also noted that over 45 percent of children under five exhibit stunting due to malnutrition. The impact of malnutrition also extends to women, with over 6 million pregnant and lactating women affected by moderate to severe malnutrition between 2017 and 2024.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen necessitates humanitarian aid for more than 24 million people. Al-Asbahi also provided figures on casualties from recent intensified attacks, stating that from September 3 to October 5, 2026, a total of 120 people were killed and 307 injured. The total number of casualties from the latest wave of attacks has reached 427, with women and children constituting over 60 percent of this figure. The provinces of Taiz, Saada, and Jawf have recorded the highest number of fatalities in these assaults.
Al-Asbahi criticized the international community’s silence regarding attacks on civilians and medical facilities, urging international organizations and human rights bodies to hold the perpetrators accountable and lift the blockade on Yemen. He reiterated the Ministry of Health’s repeated calls for the reopening of Sana’a Airport and the facilitation of entry for vital medicines, lamenting the lack of effective responses to these urgent requests.
Despite the escalating attacks, Al-Asbahi affirmed that the resilience and determination of the Yemeni people to resist and persevere will not be weakened.
