UNICEF has reported that the West Coast of Yemen is "on the verge of catastrophe" amid severe and acute malnutrition.
"We've seen figures of 33 percent severe and acute malnutrition in certain areas, especially on the West Coast, which is where I was in Hudaida, and that is on the verge of a catastrophe, " UNICEF Yemen Representative Peter Hawkins told a United Nations briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
"It's not a humanitarian crisis. It's not an emergency. It is a catastrophe where thousands will die," he warned
He stressed that one in two children five years old and younger in the country are acutely malnourished.
Among them, over 537,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, describing it as "a condition that is agonising, life-threatening, and entirely preventable."
"Malnutrition weakens immune systems, stunts growth, and robs children of their potential. In Yemen, it’s not just a health crisis – it is a death sentence for thousands," he said.
“No food, no medicines, no water, no fuel. A tight siege longer than what was in place in the first phase of the war,” Philippe Lazzarini says.
‘Unimpeded’ delivery of aid
Equally alarming, 1.4 million pregnant and lactating women are malnourished, according to the representative.
Hawkins emphasised that the agency needs an additional $157 million for its response in 2025 as the current appeal is only 25 percent funded.
He also urged all parties involved in the conflict in Yemen to allow unimpeded delivery of aid and humanitarian to save lives.
"We call for the release of detained UN staff and other humanitarian workers. And, importantly, for the conflict to cease," he concluded.
This is the fifth missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport claimed by Yemen’s Houthi group.
