UN Warns Water and Aid Access Are Failing in Besieged Taiz
WHO:
Al Jazeera - Dr. Essam Mahyoub Dahan, director of the Republican Hospital’s dialysis centre, said the centre could shut down completely within days.
Al Jazeera - Dr. Shaheed al-Ameri, the Republican Hospital’s deputy director-general for technical affairs, said the hospital had no reserve diesel supplies.
Al Jazeera - Taiz health office media officer Taysir al-Samei warned that fuel shortages could force medical oxygen plants to shut down.
Al Jazeera - Dialysis patient Abdul Badi Abdulwuhab, 53, said shortened treatment sessions left him weak and in pain.
ABC News World - Houthi rebels backed by Iran are tightening their encirclement of Taiz.
Al Jazeera - Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), described the loss of access to Taiz.
Al Jazeera - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 800,000 people in Taiz were cut off from aid; about three-quarters depend on humanitarian assistance, and at least 200,000 are women and children.
Al Jazeera - Christian Lindmeier, a World Health Organization spokesperson, said 42 facilities in Taiz faced acute shortages.
Al Jazeera - Azfar Deen, a WFP regional communications officer for eastern and Southern Africa, said the agency was trying to regain access to Taiz.
Al Jazeera - Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, reported government troop operations; Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify his figures.
WHAT:
Al Jazeera - The Republican Hospital dialysis centre serves 270 patients; shortages forced it to cut dialysis sessions from four hours to two and a half, and its specialised solutions were nearly depleted.
Al Jazeera - Taiz governorate’s health office warned that 1,110 kidney-failure patients were at risk; hospitals across the governorate provide about 210 dialysis sessions daily.
Al Jazeera - Republican Hospital diesel prices on the black market had reached five times their pre-siege level. The hospital had suspended some departments.
Al Jazeera - Hospitals and ambulances need at least 156,000 litres of fuel monthly. WHO warned that shortages also threatened oxygen production, water pumping, vaccine refrigeration, and sanitation.
Al Jazeera - At Republican Hospital, laboratory reagents had fallen to 10–15 percent of previous levels, about half of normally available medicines were out of stock, and remaining medicine prices had doubled.
Al Jazeera - Amnesty International called on the Houthis to reopen vital roads into and around Taiz.
ABC News World - Taiz faces a severe water crisis as Houthi rebels tighten their encirclement.
Al Jazeera - The siege has blocked supplies from entering Taiz; little fuel, food, or other supplies have reached the city.
Al Jazeera - Trucked water is the main source for most residents, and its cost has tripled. Cooking gas is largely unavailable, threatening community kitchens that provide meals to families.
Al Jazeera - Local humanitarian groups have used remaining supplies to keep water pumps and hospitals running. Laerke said, “It comes with a time code: The clock is running out.”
Al Jazeera - Hospitals report critical shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicine, and other supplies; 42 Taiz facilities face “acute” deficits.
Al Jazeera - UN screenings in Taiz found more than 52,000 children with acute malnutrition, including approximately 11,500 with severe acute malnutrition.
Al Jazeera - Al-Nuzaili said troops conducted raids and counterattacks, “neutralising” 620 Houthi fighters and destroying 190 vehicles.
Al Jazeera - The European Commission announced an additional 22.5 million euros ($25.2 million) in aid for Yemen, in addition to 87.5 million euros ($97.9 million) previously allocated for 2026.
Al Jazeera - The UN reported nearly 260,000 people displaced, mostly in Taiz and Lahij provinces, and more than 3,800 people fleeing to neighbouring Djibouti. Since August, at least 1,574 people have been killed and 6,939 wounded in the conflict.
WHERE:
ABC News World - Taiz is a city in southwestern Yemen.
Al Jazeera - The Houthis cut the road linking Taiz to Aden, interim capital of the internationally recognised government.
Al Jazeera - Clashes were reported in Taiz province’s Jabal Han highlands and Dhubab and al-Masrakh districts.
WHEN:
Al Jazeera - The Republican Hospital’s latest scheduled delivery of dialysis solutions did not arrive; it had been due earlier that month.
Al Jazeera - WHO issued a warning about shortages on October 22.
Al Jazeera - Laerke said Taiz had been cut off for 20 days and counting.
Al Jazeera - The Houthis encircled Taiz in early October.
Al Jazeera - The article says the siege had lasted nearly three weeks and reports intensified fighting in recent days.
WHY:
Al Jazeera - The siege and fighting have prevented aid and supplies from reaching Taiz and made it impossible for humanitarian workers to enter and residents to leave.
Al Jazeera - The Houthis’ encirclement cut the road to Aden, contributing to Taiz’s isolation.
Al Jazeera - The conflict began after the Houthis seized Sanaa and other provinces in 2014; a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
HOW:
Al Jazeera - The Republican Hospital was buying diesel on the black market almost daily to keep services running.
Al Jazeera - Most residents rely on water delivered by trucks, while local humanitarian groups have used remaining supplies to operate water pumps and hospitals.
Al Jazeera - A UN-brokered truce in 2022 fell apart after the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi ports.
(UPDATED October 24, 2026 13:05 UTC)
Taiz, in southwestern Yemen, is being cut off by Houthi forces, blocking aid and leaving hospitals and residents facing severe shortages. More than 800,000 people are isolated, about three-quarters of them dependent on humanitarian assistance, while 42 health facilities face acute shortages. At Republican Hospital, dialysis sessions have been cut from four hours to two and a half, and the dialysis centre could shut down within days. Fuel supplies are nearly exhausted, threatening oxygen production, water pumps, vaccine refrigeration and sanitation. One patient says shortened treatments leave him weak and in pain. Trucked water, the main source for many residents, now costs three times as much, and cooking gas is scarce. UN screenings found more than 52,000 children with acute malnutrition. The European Commission has announced an additional 22.5 million euros in aid for Yemen, while Amnesty International is urging the Houthis to reopen roads into Taiz.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 10:00 UTC)
Iran-backed Houthi rebels are tightening their encirclement of Taiz, southwestern Yemen, cutting off aid and essential supplies to a city of more than 800,000 people. The Houthis have also cut the road to Aden, leaving humanitarian workers unable to enter and residents unable to leave. The UN says about three-quarters of Taiz’s population depend on aid, including at least 200,000 women and children. Most residents rely on trucked water, which now costs three times as much, while cooking gas is scarce and community kitchens are at risk. Hospitals face shortages of fuel, oxygen and medicine, with 42 facilities reporting acute deficits. UN screenings found more than 52,000 children acutely malnourished, including about 11,500 severely malnourished. Fighting has intensified, while local groups use dwindling supplies to keep pumps and hospitals running. The European Commission has announced an additional 22.5 million euros in aid for Yemen.