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A Saudi Coalition Hospital Massacre in Hodeidah

These attacks demonstrate the coalition's blatant disregard for civilian lives.
corroded yemen flag
Daniel Larison
Aug 2, 2018 12:38 PM

One Saudi coalition airstrike hit the gate at the main public hospital in Hodeidah earlier today, and another struck the fishing port at the fish market. Initial reports indicate that as many as 45 people were killed and wounded in the hospital strike, and dozens more were killed and wounded in the fish market attack:

Saudi coalition attacks on markets and hospitals are unfortunately common in this war. These attacks demonstrate the coalition’s blatant disregard for civilian lives and they put the lie to U.S. claims that our government’s support for the war reduces the number of civilian casualties. Providing the coalition with precision-guided weapons doesn’t do any good if they are deliberately targeting civilian structures, and there is ample evidence from the last three years of the bombing campaign to prove that they have been doing exactly that. As Iona Craig notes above, the hospital in question is the busiest in the region, so there is no question that the coalition knew what they were hitting and did so on purpose. The attack on the fish market is consistent with the coalition’s systematic, deliberate targeting of sources of food production.

As I noted earlier this week, the coalition targets sanitation and water infrastructure in Hodeidah and elsewhere in Yemen. UNICEF warned this week that these attacks risked causing a new outbreak of cholera:

The U.N. children’s agency warned Wednesday of the potential for another cholera outbreak in war-torn Yemen after airstrikes hit water facilities and other civilian infrastructure in the port city of Hodeida.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement the airstrikes earlier this week damaged a sanitation facility and a station that supplies most of the city’s water.

Hodeidah’s remaining residents are at risk from disease and starvation, and they are also in danger of being slaughtered by coalition bombs and missiles. The Hodeidah offensive will result in many more senseless, illegal attacks like the two that happened today, and it also threatens to cut off millions from their food supply. It is imperative that the U.S. end all military assistance to the coalition and demand a halt to the offensive at once.

Update: Death toll from the airstrikes now stands at 52 with 107 injured.

Second Update:

Third Update: The numbers of confirmed dead and injured continue to rise:

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