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Yemen Presidential Council Accuses Houthis of Seeking to Renege on UN Truce

A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
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Yemen Presidential Council Accuses Houthis of Seeking to Renege on UN Truce

A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)

The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) in Yemen accused on Monday the Iran-backed Houthi militias of seeking to renege on the two-month United Nations truce.

The truce entered its fourth week on Saturday a day before the first flight out of Sanaa airport was delayed due to Houthi violations.

The truce had called for the operation of two flights per week to and from Sanaa airport from Amman and Cairo. It also called for a nationwide ceasefire, the possibility of opening crossings and ending the Houthi siege on Taiz, and allowing 18 fuel ships to unload at Hodeidah port.

The PLC met under Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to discuss a number of national issues and ways to overcome challenges.

The gatherers noted the Houthis' obstruction of the Sanaa flight that was scheduled for Sunday, reported the state news agency Saba.

They held the militias responsible for compounding the suffering of the Yemeni people living in areas under their control. They accused the Houthis of creating problems so that they could later renege on the truce and hinder the UN-led peace process.

The PLC reiterated the government position that is keen on easing the suffering of the people, without exception.

The council held another meeting that was attended by Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and Aden Governor Ahmed Lamlas to discuss the plan to develop the interim capital.

They addressed electricity, water, sewage, education and health files that had been put on hold for various reasons.

The PLC approved the formation of a presidential committee, headed by the prime minister and including concerned ministers, to devise the development plan for Aden and improve services.

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UN Says It's Ready to Ramp Up Delivery of Desperately Needed Aid to Gaza

A Palestinian man rides a donkey-pulled cart along a street on a misty morning in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025, as Israel's security cabinet is expected to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
A Palestinian man rides a donkey-pulled cart along a street on a misty morning in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025, as Israel's security cabinet is expected to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
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UN Says It's Ready to Ramp Up Delivery of Desperately Needed Aid to Gaza

A Palestinian man rides a donkey-pulled cart along a street on a misty morning in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025, as Israel's security cabinet is expected to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
A Palestinian man rides a donkey-pulled cart along a street on a misty morning in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025, as Israel's security cabinet is expected to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)

The United Nations said Wednesday that it’s ready to ramp up the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza following a ceasefire agreement and urged the removal of major security and political obstacles so supplies can reach all Palestinians in need.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the announcement of a deal to pause the fighting “a critical first step” and told reporters that the UN’s top priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by the conflict triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel, The Associated Press said.
“The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels,” he said. “From our side, we will do whatever is humanly possible, aware of the serious challenges and serious constraints that we will be facing.”
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said aid agencies have been mobilizing supplies in preparation for a ceasefire to scale up deliveries of food, medical supplies and other key items.
Less than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, water production is at a quarter of capacity, 95% of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed and nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity, said Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN children’s agency UNICEF.
The top UN humanitarian official for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, met with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials in recent days to discuss how to increase aid after a ceasefire agreement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.
Kaag’s meetings focused on trying to overcome challenges to deliveries that could remain even after the deal, including gunmen stripping convoys of aid, Israeli restrictions on access to Gaza, road damage, unexplored ordnance, fuel shortages and a lack of telecommunications equipment, he said.
The UN humanitarian office reported Tuesday that “Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach people with vital assistance,” Dujarric said. In northern Gaza, where Israel launched its latest offensive, the UN has been denied access to deliver food supplies since Dec. 20, he said.
In addition to the lawlessness, the United Nations faces a major political obstacle. Its humanitarian operation in Gaza depends on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, which Israel’s parliament voted to ban from operating in the Palestinian territories. That legislation takes effect on Jan. 28.
Guterres has said there is no UN agency that can replace UNRWA, and if it is banned from operating, Israel as the occupying power in the Palestinian territories must take responsibility for providing aid.
UN officials said it’s imperative that the ceasefire deal is fully implemented and aid is allowed to flow freely.
“With the collapse of essential services across Gaza, we must act urgently to save lives and help children recover,” Russell of UNICEF said in a statement.
Guterres said the United Nations expects its efforts to be matched by other humanitarian organizations, the private sector and government initiatives.
David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, said aid groups must be given full access and adequate funding to rush aid to Gaza’s people after 15 months with limited food, clean water and medical care. He said his organization would quickly ramp up efforts: “The needs are immense and need urgent attention.”
Jan Egeland, a former UN humanitarian chief who heads the Norwegian Refugee Council, said, “Israel must immediately lift all restrictions on aid and humanitarian agencies to avert famine-like conditions and ensure access to shelter, food, and medical care for all in need.”
He called on the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations “to make sure Israel does keep all crossings open, enabling a sustained flow of aid that can alleviate further suffering.”
US President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, said, “The surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin. And the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies.