Hebrew Media: Sana’a Operations Paralyze Umm al-Rashrash Port and Trigger an Unprecedented Concession Crisis Inside the Occupation Entity
Near-total paralysis at the port of “Eilat” and sharp disputes between port management and the Ministries of Transport and Finance, amid Hebrew acknowledgments of the ongoing economic impact of Yemen’s Red Sea operations
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Hebrew websites and newspapers have revealed serious repercussions resulting from Yemeni forces’ operations during the war of genocide on Gaza, confirming that these operations have caused a near-total paralysis of activity at Umm al-Rashrash Port—known under occupation as “Eilat”—plunging it into one of the most complex operational and economic crises in its history.
Navigation Paralysis and Disruption of Shipping
The Hebrew website Port2Port quoted port management as confirming that the occupation government’s request to bring large quantities of containers to the port is “completely detached from reality,” given the near-complete halt in shipping traffic to and from Umm al-Rashrash due to the unstable security situation in the Red Sea, which has turned into a major hub of disruption for trade linked to the occupation entity.
Economic Repercussions Beyond the Port
The website noted that the impact of Sana’a operations has not been limited to the port’s local activity, but has also directly affected Zionist shipping companies and their contracted partners, leaving clear economic losses and deepening the crisis of confidence in the southern trade route for Israeli commerce.
Threat of Revoking the Concession and Intertwined Disputes
For its part, the economic outlet Calcalist reported that the Ministry of Transport in the occupation entity is threatening not to renew the concession of Nakash Brothers, the company operating the port, on the grounds that it failed to unload a sufficient number of containers during the period from 2022 to 2024.
In response, port management stressed that this demand completely ignores the security and economic reality, particularly in light of ongoing threats from Sana’a, the high costs of overland transport from Umm al-Rashrash to central occupied Palestine, and the lack of adequate government investment in infrastructure.
A Decisive Decision Amid Expectations of Non-Renewal
According to Hebrew reports, the Ministries of Transport and Finance must make a decisive decision on whether to extend the concession for an additional ten years or re-offer it through a competitive tender, amid assessments that renewal is unlikely, despite what was described as the “severe and unprecedented blow” the port has suffered since the outbreak of the Red Sea crisis.
Unworkable Conditions and Official Rejection
In the same context, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the two ministries formally informed port management that it had failed to meet three basic conditions for renewal, most notably the failure to achieve an annual average handling volume of 65,000 TEUs, the failure to demonstrate full compliance with accreditation requirements, and the submission of the renewal request after the deadline.
Port management responded that these conditions are practically impossible to meet, emphasizing that government authorities were fully aware in advance of the impossibility of fulfilling them under the current circumstances.
A Structural Crisis Beyond the Security Dimension
According to observers, these developments reveal that the impact of Yemeni army operations has gone beyond the military and security dimension to strike one of the occupation entity’s sensitive economic arteries, placing the entire “Port of Eilat” model at risk.
The crisis also reflects, according to assessments, a structural flaw in Israel’s strategic vision, even before the Red Sea strikes effectively closed the southern window of trade and entrenched a new economic reality that will be difficult to overcome in the foreseeable future.
