Yemeni Government Calls for Ending UN’s Hodeidah Mission

FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
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Yemeni Government Calls for Ending UN’s Hodeidah Mission

FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad

The Yemeni legitimate government has said that the Stockholm Agreement has collapsed, accusing Iran-backed Houthi militias of violating pacts and deals.

The government called for the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) to stop functioning and its headquarters relocated after the killing of Colonel Mohammed al-Solaihi in Hodeidah.

In a tweet, Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hadhrami said: "The martyrdom of Colonel Mohamed Solaihi, while performing his duty as part of the UN mission, proves that the (Houthi) group has no convention and that the Hodeidah deal is inapplicable."

“We won't forget Solaihi and his killers," the Minister tweeted.

He also called for UNMHA’s work to stop until the murderers are held accountable, and its headquarters relocated into a neutral zone in Hodeidah to be freed from the Houthi grip.

Government liaison officer Solaihi was shot on March 11 by a Houthi sniper at an observation point in Hodeidah.

He was taken to a hospital in Aden where he succumbed to his wounds on Friday.

Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that the Stockholm deal has collapsed.

He criticized UN envoy Martin Griffiths for not daring to blame the party responsible for shooting Solaihi.

He also described the Hodeidah Agreement as an illusion marketed by the UN envoy and the world. “This agreement has not achieved anything,” Badi explained.

On Saturday, Griffiths described the murder of Solaihi as a “deplorable and unacceptable attack.”

In a tweet, Griffiths expressed his deepest condolences for the tragic death of Solaihi.

"He will be remembered for his service in support of bringing peace to his country,” the envoy said.

The Yemeni government’s senior negotiator in the joint team for the implementation of the Hodeidah deal, Mohamed Aidha, announced the death of the Stockholm Agreement.

In a tweet, he wrote that the “agreement is an illusion pact.”



Israeli Strikes Kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, Orders Hospital to Evacuate

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, Orders Hospital to Evacuate

Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike at the Nuseirat refugee camp are prepared for the funeral prayer outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, as the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north.
Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.
The Israeli military said in a statement the strike targeted Hamas groups operating from a command center embedded inside the school. It said Hamas used the place to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.
Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a car.
At least five other Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis south of the enclave.
In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where the army has operated since October, Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the army ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and move patients and injured people toward another hospital in the area.
Abu Safiya said the mission was "next to impossible" because staff did not have ambulances to move the patients.
The Israeli army has operated in the two towns of north Gaza, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, as well as the nearby Jabalia camp for nearly three months.
Palestinians have accused Israel of carrying out acts of "ethnic cleansing" to depopulate those areas to create a buffer zone.
Israel denies this and says the campaign in the area aimed to fight Hamas and prevent them from regrouping. It said its forces have killed hundreds of fighters and dismantled military infrastructure since that operation began.
Armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said they killed many Israeli soldiers in ambushes during the same period.
Mediators have yet to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas group.
Sources close to the discussions told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar and Egypt had been able to resolve some differences between the warring parties but sticking points remained.
Israel began its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.
Authorities in Gaza say Israel's campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million. Much of the coastal enclave is in ruins.