NYN | News
The Washington Post has held the United States and Israel responsible for worsening Yemen’s health crisis, stating that the suspension of foreign aid and Israeli and American airstrikes have directly contributed to the spread of cholera in the country.
The report, authored by Joshua Young and Brian Perelman, explained that attacks on ports and civilian infrastructure — including hospitals and clinics — have severed the “lifelines” of humanitarian supplies and further weakened Yemen’s already fragile economy, one of the poorest in the world.
The paper noted that the suspension of aid to large areas controlled by the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) last spring led to a further deterioration in health conditions. According to the World Health Organization, Yemeni authorities recorded over 50,000 suspected cholera cases and 149 deaths between January and mid-July.
The report pointed out that U.S., British, and Israeli airstrikes, which also targeted transportation systems and medical facilities, have worsened civilian suffering and reduced the flow of humanitarian aid.
Hospitals are reportedly facing severe shortages of medications and medical equipment, including IV fluids and diagnostic imaging devices, limiting their ability to treat patients effectively.
One airstrike also damaged water infrastructure, cutting off drinking water to around 50,000 people — significantly increasing the risk of cholera transmission.
More than one-third of Yemen’s 767 health clinics have been shut down due to reduced aid and the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, threatening the country’s ability to contain the cholera outbreak.
Authorities and public health experts fear a repeat of the large-scale epidemic Yemen experienced between 2016 and 2022, when over 2.5 million cholera cases were recorded, according to a 2023 study published in The Lancet.
