Yemen: Saudi Development Programs Go Beyond War Times

Yemeni girls benefit from a schooling program (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemeni girls benefit from a schooling program (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Yemen: Saudi Development Programs Go Beyond War Times

Yemeni girls benefit from a schooling program (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemeni girls benefit from a schooling program (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen implements its sustainable, flexible, and innovative development projects in relatively stable environments, in close coordination with the legitimate government and local communities, with the aim to build the foundations of stability, prosperity, and lasting peace throughout the country.

The program seeks to promote a comprehensive development solution in all vital sectors in Yemen, namely health, education, energy, agriculture, fish wealth, transportation, and government institutions, as well as harnessing economic, human, and environmental resources in achieving sustainable development in the country.

Among the program’s objectives is facilitating Yemenis’ access to basic services in parallel with improving and expanding the infrastructure.

The Saudi program has established 8 schools in Al Mahrah Governorate, 4 in Socotra, 4 in Aden, 2 in Hadramout, 2 in Hajjah, and 1 in Taiz. Schools consist of buildings for educational classes, administrative facilities, laboratories, libraries, and external spaces.

In the transportation sector, the Saudi program rehabilitated Al-Ghaydah airport, by providing communication equipment and the RNAV navigation system, an ambulance, and a fire truck. It also established the Marib airport (contract analysis stage), along with the rehabilitation and restoration of Socotra airport, providing it with an ambulance and a fire truck, and rehabilitating Aden airport and providing it with two buses, a fire truck, and two electric generators.

The program also targeted the water sector, which suffers from a severe shortage and worn-out infrastructure. A water line was established benefitting the city of Ghaydah, and many wells were drilled and equipped in the different governorates.

In the energy sector, the program has built 5-megawatt power stations in Socotra and Hajjah governorates, provided Al Ghaida Central Hospital with electric generators, operated wells with solar energy, and launched other sustainable projects across the country.



Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

At least eight Palestinians, most of them children, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, local officials said.

The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall "dozens of meters from the target".

"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians," it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review.

The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital.

Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centers where they can fill up their plastic containers.

Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, Palestinian media reported. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.

Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that more than 58,000 people had been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, with 139 people added to the death toll over the past 24 hours.

Negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire appeared to be deadlocked, with the two sides divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources said at the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene ministers late on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the talks, an Israeli official said.

The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are being held in Doha, but optimism that surfaced last week of a looming deal has largely faded, with both sides accusing each other of intransigence.

Netanyahu in a video he posted on Telegram on Sunday said Israel would not back down from its core demands - releasing all the hostages still in Gaza, destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.