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The closure of access routes to Taiz, a Yemeni city under siege by Houthi forces, has sharply reduced the amount of fuel, food and other essential goods reaching residents, United Nations officials said.

Speaking at the UN Geneva office's weekly press briefing, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke and World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier described shrinking water supplies, hospitals running short of fuel and growing threats to patient care.

Access blocked for 20 days

Laerke said Taiz has been cut off from the outside world for 20 days and that fighting has made it impossible for humanitarian staff to enter the area and for people to leave since October 3. "This is almost a textbook example of what happens when humanitarian access is cut," Laerke said.

Closed routes have caused the amount of fuel, food and other basic necessities arriving in the city to drop sharply, Laerke added.

Water and cooking gas run short

Water sources are dwindling, Laerke said, and most residents depend on water brought in by tanker. Meeting water needs was already difficult in Taiz, and closed roads plus a lack of diesel needed to run the tankers have made it harder still.

The cost of tanker-delivered water has risen to roughly three times its previous level, Laerke said. Cooking gas is also almost completely unavailable, and the shortage has begun to threaten community kitchens that provide hot meals to families.

Hospitals struggle to keep vital services running

Lindmeier said WHO learned four days ago that fuel stocks at hospitals in Taiz would soon be exhausted, but had not yet received confirmation that they had run out. Hospitals are having great difficulty maintaining vital services because of critical shortfalls in fuel, oxygen, medicine and medical supplies, Lindmeier said, adding that emergency action is needed to sustain life-saving care for thousands of patients. Some 42 health facilities in Taiz face severe shortages.

Hospitals and ambulances need more than 156,000 liters of fuel a month to keep operating, Lindmeier said, warning that the shortage also threatens oxygen production, emergency patient transfers and the cold chain used to preserve vaccines. WHO continues to work with health authorities to verify existing fuel stocks and assess the scale of disruptions to hospital services.

Food aid gap widens as fighting intensifies

Azfar Deen, communications officer for WFP in East and Southern Africa, said the food situation in Yemen is extremely worrying. More than 800,000 people have lost access to food assistance, including 200,000 women and children who depend on humanitarian aid, Deen said, adding that intensive efforts are under way to reach them while supporting wider operations across the country.

Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified in Yemen recently. The Iran-backed Houthis, holding Saudi Arabia responsible for attacks against them, have targeted the country with ballistic missiles and drones.

Key takeaways

• Taiz has been cut off from the outside world for 20 days, with fighting blocking entry and exit since October 3
• Tanker-delivered water now costs roughly three times as much and cooking gas is almost unavailable
• WHO says 42 health facilities in Taiz face severe shortages; hospitals and ambulances need over 156,000 liters of fuel a month
• WFP says more than 800,000 people, including 200,000 women and children, have been cut off from food assistance