Yemen Holds Onto 3 References to Achieve Peace

Yemeni PM Abdulmalik received Monday in the temporary capital Aden families of a number of victims of the terrorist attack on Aden airport (saba)
Yemeni PM Abdulmalik received Monday in the temporary capital Aden families of a number of victims of the terrorist attack on Aden airport (saba)
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Yemen Holds Onto 3 References to Achieve Peace

Yemeni PM Abdulmalik received Monday in the temporary capital Aden families of a number of victims of the terrorist attack on Aden airport (saba)
Yemeni PM Abdulmalik received Monday in the temporary capital Aden families of a number of victims of the terrorist attack on Aden airport (saba)

The Yemeni government has reiterated its support for the task of the UN envoy on the basis of the three references, after reports said Martin Griffiths plans to kick off a series of meetings to revive comprehensive political talks on the draft Joint Declaration.

“The government's vision is based on supporting the task of the UN envoy on the basis of the three references; the GCC Initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and UN Resolution 2216,” Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed BinMubarak said Monday during a meeting with European Union Ambassador to Yemen Hanse Grundberg.

According to Yemen’s saba news agency, BinMubarak and Grundberg discussed humanitarian issues and the Houthi militias’ terrorist attack on Aden Airport last week.

BinMubarak praised efforts exerted by the UN envoy to Yemen for solving the country’s crisis, and made it clear that the terrorist attack waged by the Houthis on Aden International Airport was part of their agenda to spread chaos and violence in Yemen.

The European diplomat pointed out to the EU statement, which denounced the airport attack that aimed at foiling hopes of peace. He expressed support to the government of Yemen for realizing peace, hoping that the attack will not affect its mission.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik said results of preliminary investigations show that Houthis had launched the attack on Aden’s airport while the world was watching live the arrival of the new government.

Abdulmalik’s statements came as he received Monday in the temporary capital Aden families of a number of persons who were killed in the attack.

"We won't forget the martyrs' blood nor abandon the wounded, we must work jointly to get rid of this calamity, put down the coup and restore the state," the PM said.



Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

A months-long Israeli blockade is worsening acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, medical charity Medecins du Monde warned on Tuesday, accusing Israel of using hunger as "a weapon of war".

Israel halted all aid from entering the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on March 2, days before resuming its offensive triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

The United Nations and aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe for the roughly 2.4 million people in Gaza, amid dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water.

Aid reaches Gaza mainly through Israeli-controlled entry points, though the flow has fluctuated -- even before the March shutdown.

After more than a year and a half of war, acute malnutrition in Gaza has "reached levels comparable to those seen in countries facing prolonged humanitarian crises spanning several decades," AFP quoted Medecins du Monde as saying.

MDM said data from six health centers it runs in the Palestinian territory highlighted "the human responsibility for hunger in Gaza".

"Acute malnutrition rates among pregnant and breastfeeding women and children depend on the Israeli authorities' decisions to allow or block humanitarian aid," it said.

The medical charity said the peaks in acute malnutrition it observed in 2024 "coincided with the sharpest decline in the monthly number of trucks delivering aid to Gaza".

MDM said it saw a peak in child acute malnutrition of 17 percent in November, during a significant reduction of humanitarian aid.

Aid access is limited to Israeli-controlled crossings, with the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt closed since the Israeli army took control of the city in spring 2024.

Israeli authorities have closed the crossing points since March 2, saying they want to force Hamas to release hostages.

The security cabinet in early May approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary" in Gaza, but insisted there was "currently enough food".

The UN's World Food Program in late April said it had depleted all its food stocks in the territory.

"We are not witnessing a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of humanity and moral bankruptcy with the use of hunger as a weapon of war," said Jean-Francois Corty, president of MDM.

"The failure of other countries with the power to pressure the Israeli authorities to lift this deadly siege is unacceptable and could be seen as complicity under international law," he added.

In April, one in five pregnant or breastfeeding women and nearly one in four children MDM observed were suffering or were at high risk of acute malnutrition, the charity said.

The MDM report also detailed the domino effect of dwindling food reserves, as well as the destruction of agricultural facilities and sanitation systems, on the malnutrition crisis.

The organization said it could not officially declare famine underway due to a lack of comprehensive data covering the entire Palestinian territory.

The UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned Monday that Gaza was at "critical risk of famine", with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian "catastrophe".