The United Nations announced on Tuesday it was closing two hospitals in Marib, east of the capital, after being damaged from missile strikes by the Iran-backed Houthi militias last week.
The decision would deprive thousands of Yemenis from receiving health assistance.
A statement issued by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Al Jafra and Al Saudi hospitals in the Majzer District in Marib, around 75 kilometers north of Marib City, sustained serious damages due to multiple attacks on February 7.
The statement avoided holding the militias responsible for the airstrikes, simply saying that the two hospitals were closed after suffering damages during clashes last week.
The two hospitals provide health services to around 15,000 people, most of them displaced.
The statement said the facilities have been badly damaged, including the intensive care unit, occupational therapy unit, inpatients unit and the pharmacy at Al Jafra Hospital, which is the main hospital in the area.
“This is a completely unacceptable breach of international humanitarian law”, said Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. “It’s terrible that facilities upon which thousands of people depend to survive have been badly damaged.”
She said the health sector has been hit very hard during this war. “Preventing further damage and helping to rebuild it are some of our highest priorities.”
The UN statement said fighting escalated in districts in Marib and neighboring governorates in mid-January, scattering up to 4,673 families across Marib, Sanaa and Al Jawf governorates.
It said many of those fleeing frontline areas were displaced for the second time and have exhausted all their resources.
“Humanitarians have been rushing to respond to the thousands of people displaced across the region in recent weeks. This includes providing emergency kits of food, hygiene supplies, shelter materials and other essential items to 1,884 families, as well as providing life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and protection services,” it said.
The UN statement came as Houthis continued on Tuesday to sporadically attack residential areas in the city of Marib.
The Yemeni Health Ministry had condemned last week the recurrent Houthi attacks on healthcare centers across the country.
