Renewed fighting risks ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Yemen, aid groups warn

Almost one million people are on brink the of starvation as health infrastructure is overwhelmed by the war-wounded.Published On 14 Oct 202614 Oct 2026The humanitarian groups the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have sounded the alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen amid ramped-up fighting.An estimated 800,000 people have been cut off from life-saving food assistance as front lines have rapidly shifted between Saudi-backed forces of the internationally recognised government and the Iran-aligned Houthis, according to the WFP.“This is the kind of situation that can rapidly spiral into a humanitarian catastrophe,” said El-Khidir Daloum, WFP’s country director in Yemen.The crisis is worst in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, where an estimated 600,000 people have no access to food assistance, including 200,000 women and children, the United Nations agency said in a statement.Taiz has been the focus of recent clashes and is hemmed in by Houthi forces, imperiling aid deliveries.The WFP said that the loss of access is especially alarming given that Taiz has some of the country’s highest levels of food insecurity.Across Y...