Sana’a – Saba:
The Yemeni Center for Human Rights strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression targeting Yemen’s civilian and service infrastructure, including the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Al-Salif, as well as the central power station in Ras Kathib.
In a statement received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the center described the targeting of these vital humanitarian ports—critical for transporting food and medicine to millions of Yemenis—as a deliberate war crime aimed at starving the population and destroying essential civilian life systems, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law.
The statement emphasized that these acts violate multiple international agreements, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Protocol I of 1977, which prohibit attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. It also referenced the Rome Statute, which criminalizes the widespread destruction of civilian property and the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
The center cited UN Security Council Resolution 3314 (1974), Article 3(c), which defines the targeting of civilian infrastructure as an act of aggression, and Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees civilians’ right to food and water.
The statement warned that attacking humanitarian ports disables 70% of aid entry into Yemen, severely worsening what the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, driven by years of blockade that have already resulted in tens of thousands of deaths due to famine, lack of medicine, collapse of the healthcare system, and catastrophic malnutrition among women and children.
The center affirmed that these acts are part of a systematic campaign of genocide, stressing Yemenis’ legitimate right to self-defense in protecting their lives and dignity. It also asserted that justice for victims is a non-negotiable and timeless right.
The statement further warned that global silence amounts to complicity, particularly by the UN Security Council, which has yet to issue any condemnation despite the rising civilian death toll.
The Yemeni Center for Human Rights called on Arab and Islamic governments to sever ties with Israel, prosecute its leaders at the International Criminal Court, launch campaigns to halt arms exports to Israel, and boycott companies supporting the occupation.