Geneva – The large-scale military escalation in Yemen and the grave violations that may amount to war crimes threaten a comprehensive humanitarian collapse in Yemen. The expanding scope of fighting, disrupted supply routes, and ongoing restrictions on vital crossings and internal roads are worsening hunger and displacement. They are depriving millions of civilians of food, medicine, shelter, and healthcare, putting their lives at risk in a country whose capacity to provide even the most basic necessities for survival has been exhausted by years of conflict.
The military escalation in Yemen resulted in the deaths of 959 people and the injury of 4,207 others between 6 August and 2 October 2026, according to figures published by the World Health Organization on 4 October. This came as the Houthi group advanced along the western coast and the Yemeni government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, launched a large-scale military operation aimed at "restoring state institutions and ending the coup".
The expansion of confrontations into populated areas exposes civilians to the risk of death, injury, and displacement, and requires immediate measures to protect them, ensure safe passage for those wishing to leave, and enable ambulance and relief teams to reach trapped populations.
The expanding scope of fighting, disrupted supply routes, and ongoing restrictions on vital crossings and internal roads are worsening hunger and displacement in Yemen
A video clip published on 5 October 2026 shows people being run over by an armoured vehicle near Bab al Mandab. The incident was attributed to forces loyal to the Yemeni government. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor expresses grave concern over the footage and calls for an urgent, independent investigation to identify those involved and the victims, determine their fate and the circumstances of the incident, verify whether the targeted individuals had surrendered, been captured, or become hors de combat because of their injuries, and examine whether the bodies of the dead were assaulted. The gravity of the footage calls for the immediate preservation of evidence, measures to protect detainees and wounded persons, and safeguards against any retaliatory practices.
Killing people who are hors de combat because they have been detained or wounded violates Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and customary rules 47 and 89. When the elements of the offence and its connection to the armed conflict are established, their intentional killing constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This protection is not lost because they are affiliated with the opposing party or suspected of having committed crimes.
International humanitarian law requires the adoption of feasible measures to evacuate, care for, and protect the wounded from ill-treatment; prohibits the mutilation of bodies; and requires the prevention of their pillage under customary rule 113. Investigating and prosecuting those responsible is essential, especially those who issued the orders and commanders who meet the criteria for responsibility because they failed to prevent crimes or punish the perpetrators.
The publication and circulation of such footage can terrorise the population and encourage retaliatory violence. Euro-Med Monitor warns that leaving assaults against prisoners and wounded persons without accountability may encourage their repetition and spread. Military leadership must condemn and prevent such acts, hold those responsible accountable, protect civilians and persons hors de combat, and prevent violations from becoming accepted or tolerated within the forces.
The ongoing military escalation in Yemen is worsening the country's humanitarian conditions, while severe restrictions on vital entry points continue. The Saudi-led Arab coalition's continued disruption of Sanaa International Airport threatens to paralyse relief operations, as the airport serves as the main entry and departure point for international humanitarian personnel working in northern Yemen.
Additionally, this disruption prevents thousands of patients from travelling to access advanced, life-saving healthcare, threatening their right to life and seriously undermining their right to health under international human rights instruments.
The ongoing militarisation of the Red Sea and disruption to maritime traffic are further worsening the humanitarian crisis and hindering the flow of vital supplies through Hodeidah Port. Reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) confirm that these developments, alongside increasingly stringent bureaucratic and security restrictions imposed by the de facto Houthi authorities on the movement of goods and humanitarian operations, are creating a severe supply chain crisis.
Obstructing the flow of aid and goods into a country that relies on imports for most basic needs undermines the food security system, pushing millions of civilians into catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity and increasing the risk of famine.
Government authorities closed the Taiz-Al-Hawban road on 3 October, and Houthi forces cut the Taiz-Aden road the following day. The closure of roads and crossings in Taiz and surrounding areas is restricting civilian movement, access to food and medicine, and the evacuation of patients and wounded people.
Furthermore, military considerations do not exempt either party from the duty to allow and facilitate the passage of humanitarian assistance, nor do they permit depriving people of supplies essential to their survival or preventing them from safely leaving besieged areas. Using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited under international law.
The expansion of hostilities towards the western coast and Bab al-Mandab threatens to trigger waves of mass forced displacement that would deepen the existing catastrophe. Available data indicate that around 200,000 people have recently been forcibly displaced in those areas. The continued military escalation puts hundreds of thousands of civilians in extremely dangerous, coercive conditions and exposes them to disproportionate attacks as residential communities and their surroundings become direct battlefields.
The parties to the conflict's failure to take required precautions effectively strips the population of necessities for survival and constitutes a grave violation of the rules protecting civilians under international humanitarian law.
The continuation of military operations at their current intensity threatens to destroy what remains of lifelines and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, water pumps, and sewage networks.
The systematic destruction will accelerate the comprehensive collapse of an already fragile health sector, create optimal conditions for epidemics and the spread of infectious diseases such as cholera, and cause a sharp rise in acute malnutrition among children and pregnant women. This would increase the number of civilian deaths from causes that could have been prevented had a safe environment and appropriate medical care been available.
The current military escalation is critically worsening a humanitarian crisis classified among the worst in the world. UN reports confirm that 22.3 million Yemenis, including 10.95 million women and girls, require urgent relief assistance and protection services in 2026. The number of internally displaced persons has risen to around 5.2 million, placing additional burdens on relief agencies. The Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) has received only a small portion of its required $2.16 billion, posing a direct threat to the survival prospects of millions of civilians.
Ongoing hostilities and supply restrictions are weakening the fragile food security system. UN estimates for 2026 show that more than 18 million Yemenis face acute food insecurity, while more than 2.2 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition. This is pushing hundreds of thousands of families into emergency levels of deprivation and risks driving large areas toward famine without immediate humanitarian intervention.
The expansion of military operations is accelerating the collapse of Yemen's health system, as the UN warns of mounting operational pressure on medical facilities. Yemen faces one of the Eastern Mediterranean region's highest burdens of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea. Hospitals' inability to secure supplies and fuel is depriving people of even basic lifesaving care and driving an alarming rise in preventable deaths.
This dire humanitarian crisis is compounded by a serious international failure to provide the support it requires. Official statistics show that the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan has received only a fraction of its required funding, an estimated 19 per cent of the total needed to address urgent needs. As a result, UN relief agencies have had to cut vital food rations and suspend many emergency healthcare programmes, leaving millions of Yemenis to fend for themselves amid widespread international inaction.
All parties to the conflict must distinguish civilians from combatants, and civilian objects from military objectives. They must not direct attacks against civilians, launch indiscriminate attacks, or carry out attacks expected to cause incidental civilian harm that would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. These obligations require verifying the nature of targets, assessing expected civilian harm, taking all feasible precautions when choosing the means and methods of attack, and cancelling or suspending an attack if it becomes apparent that it would violate the rules of distinction or proportionality.
Yemeni government forces, the Houthi group, the Saudi-led coalition, and all other parties to the conflict must immediately end hostilities and protect civilians and persons hors de combat. Military leaders must issue clear orders prohibiting the killing of prisoners and the wounded, torture, and the mutilation of bodies, and ordering an end to retaliation and the destruction of homes, civilian facilities, and supplies essential to the population's survival.
The Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthi group must each, within their areas of control and responsibility, lift arbitrary restrictions on roads, ports, and airports; facilitate the safe operation of Sanaa International Airport and Yemeni ports; and expedite procedures for bringing food, medicine, fuel, and medical supplies to the population. Permits and inspections must not cause unjustified delays or block supplies, and relief convoys and medical evacuations must be allowed to cross front lines without discrimination.
The Houthi group must immediately and unconditionally release United Nations and humanitarian workers arbitrarily detained, return seized premises and equipment, and end restrictions that obstruct the work of organisations. All parties must protect relief and health workers and allow them to carry out their duties and safely reach those in need.
Yemeni authorities and the Public Prosecution must immediately open an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into the apparent vehicle-ramming incident shown in the circulated footage, in line with international standards for investigating potentially unlawful deaths. Euro-Med Monitor calls for identifying the victims and determining their fate and condition at the time of the assault; identifying the perpetrators, their units, and chain of command; and examining orders, communications, and any incitement or assistance related to the incident. The investigation must not be limited to the individuals visible in the recording.
Authorities should secure the incident site and the vehicle involved, preserve original recordings and their metadata, along with orders, communications, and operational records, and collect medical and forensic evidence while documenting its chain of custody. Euro-Med Monitor urged authorities to protect witnesses, survivors, and victims' families from threats and retaliation, and to suspend suspects from duties that could allow them to influence the investigation or commit further violations, while respecting the presumption of innocence. Victims' families should also be kept informed of the investigation's progress and findings, while protecting sensitive data and the safety of those involved.
People against whom sufficient evidence of responsibility exists should face fair trials. This includes those who issued orders or assisted, as well as commanders, when the conditions for holding them responsible for failing to prevent or suppress crimes, or for failing to refer them to the competent authorities, are met. The response must go beyond disciplinary measures and guarantee victims and their families the rights to truth, remedy, and reparation, including compensation, medical and psychological care, and guarantees of non-recurrence.
The Human Rights Council must establish an independent international mechanism to investigate grave violations in Yemen, collect and preserve evidence, and identify those responsible in support of accountability. The Security Council must take urgent measures to halt hostilities, protect civilians, and ensure humanitarian access, and to refer the situation in Yemen to the International Criminal Court (ICC) under Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute. The Yemeni government must accept the ICC's jurisdiction under Article 12(3), cooperate with any investigation opened under the Statute. States are also urged to prosecute persons suspected of international crimes before their national courts where jurisdictional grounds exist.
All states that support parties to the conflict should use their influence to stop violations and halt arms transfers or military support when there is a serious risk that such support could be used to commit grave violations. They must also ensure that these measures do not obstruct relief or increase civilian deprivation.
Donor states should provide urgent and adequate funding of $2.16 billion for the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and for additional needs arising from the escalation. UN agencies and their partners should accelerate the response, prioritise food, water, shelter, healthcare, and medical evacuation, expand support for displaced people and host communities, and prevent funding shortages from suspending life-saving programmes.
