Yemeni Minister Says Houthis Exploiting Safer Tanker to Blackmail Int’l Community

The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
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Yemeni Minister Says Houthis Exploiting Safer Tanker to Blackmail Int’l Community

The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen
The Safer Oil Tanker sailing off Hodeidah, Yemen

The Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment, Tawfiq al-Sharjabi, warned of a possible disaster in the Red Sea because of a possible spill from the Safer oil tanker.

Sharjabi accused the Houthi militias of using the floating tank off the coast of Hodeidah Governorate to blackmail the international community, thus threatening regional and local marine life and the lives of millions of people.

The Minister’s remarks came during the ninth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention, "Water and Peace" held at the UN headquarters in Geneva.

Sharjabi explained that the explosion of the tanker loaded with more than 1.1 million barrels of oil could affect 8,523 water points from water wells, polluting them along with many river valleys of at least 500 km.

The Minister reviewed the national plan for implementing the agreement and the challenges facing his country to achieve water security.

He highlighted the importance of protecting civil water infrastructure from being targeted, and working to make water a part of peace and agreements between residents of the same country or between regional countries.

He pointed out that water facilities have been targeted at least 180 times in Yemen, the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Libya since 2011.

The Minister pinpointed the daily suffering of the people displaced and those of host communities in Yemen due to the Houthi coup militia's war and its targeting of water infrastructure, maintenance, and delivery.

“Because of the circumstances, most of the water needs are covered by tanker trucks, the price of which has increased due to war, the rise in fuel prices, and the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. In most cases, this water is not monitored which makes women, girls and children the most affected by these conditions,” said Sharjabi.

The Minister pointed out that the Houthi militia control water resources in the cities with a high population density, such as Taiz, which is already suffering from water scarcity.

The militia does not hesitate to use water as a weapon in its war to pressure the population and blackmail the legitimate government.

The Minister called on the international community to ensure that water, environmental issues, and climate change are prioritized in the global peacebuilding agenda.

He urged a "do no harm" approach when designing and implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene projects to prevent further water wastage in countries that suffer from water crises, such as Yemen and many regional countries.



Hamas Expects 'Real Progress' in Cairo Talks to End Gaza War

 Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
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Hamas Expects 'Real Progress' in Cairo Talks to End Gaza War

 Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way with belongings as they flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, in Gaza City, April 11, 2025. (Reuters)

Hamas expects "real progress" towards a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, an official said, as senior leaders from the Palestinian movement hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Saturday.

The meeting between Hamas and Egyptian mediators come amid ongoing violence in Gaza, as the Israeli military intercepted three projectiles fired from the territory and launched air strikes and artillery shelling on several areas. No injuries were reported, the military said in a statement.

The scheduled talks in Cairo also come days after US President Donald Trump suggested an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza was close to being finalized.

A Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian group anticipated the meeting with Egyptian mediators would yield significant progress.

"We hope the meeting will achieve real progress towards reaching an agreement to end the war, halt the aggression and ensure the full withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza," the official familiar with the ceasefire negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The delegation will be led by the group's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, he said.

According to the official, Hamas has not yet received any new ceasefire proposals, despite Israeli media reports suggesting that Israel and Egypt had exchanged draft documents outlining a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

"However, contacts and discussions with mediators are ongoing," he added, accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression" in Gaza.

The Times of Israel reported that Egypt's proposal would involve the release of eight living hostages and eight bodies, in exchange for a truce lasting between 40 and 70 days and a substantial release of Palestinian prisoners.

President Trump said during a cabinet meeting this week that "we're getting close to getting them (hostages in Gaza) back".

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was also quoted in an Israeli media report as saying "a very serious deal is taking shape, it's a matter of days".

Israel resumed its Gaza strikes on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Since then, more than 1,500 people have been killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory to which Israel cut off aid more than a month ago.

Dozens of these strikes have killed "only women and children," according to a report by UN human rights office.

The report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the "forcible transfer" of people into ever-shrinking areas, raising "real concern as to the future viability of Palestinians as a group in Gaza".

On Saturday, Israel continued with its offensive.

Gaza's civil defense agency reported an Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City on Saturday morning.

AFP footage of the aftermath of the strike showed the bodies of four men, wrapped in white shrouds, at a local hospital, while several individuals gathered to offer prayers before the funeral.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said its air force intercepted three projectiles that were identified as crossing into Israeli territory from southern Gaza on Saturday.

The ceasefire that ended on March 17 had led to the release of 33 hostages from Gaza -- eight of them deceased -- and the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. It resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Gaza's health ministry said on Friday that at least 1,563 Palestinians had been killed since March 18 when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,933.