SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties has released a human rights and humanitarian briefing titled "Besieged Taiz: A Testimony from the Heart of the Tragedy." The briefing examines the impact of the military escalation in Taiz Governorate since August 2026, set against the backdrop of the blockade imposed on the city since 2015, alongside the resulting risks to civilians, the deterioration of essential services, and restrictions on freedom of movement and access to water sources and agricultural land.
The briefing draws on the field and personal testimony of Dalia Mohammed, Deputy Director of the Blockade Affairs Office in Taiz Governorate and a human rights activist working with SAM’s team. Her testimony combines her firsthand experience responding to shelling incidents, rescuing the injured, and following up with affected families, with her personal ordeal of being displaced with her family from the Al-Dhabab area—where, according to her account, gunmen affiliated with the Houthi group stormed, searched, and ransacked her home after they fled.
The testimony paints a picture of compounding crises that extend beyond shelling and displacement, encompassing the inability of the injured to access medical care, acute shortages of fuel, oxygen, and medicines, severe difficulties in securing water and food, and movement restrictions between the city and rural areas, in addition to accumulating waste and escalating health and environmental hazards.
The briefing documents specific incidents that Dalia Mohammed reported monitoring or responding to during the escalation. On November 1, a house in the Old Airport area was targeted, resulting—according to her testimony—in the deaths of a mother and her daughter. She also reported shelling-related injuries in the Al-Thalatheen, Al-Jibali, and Aqaqah areas, highlighting the severe challenges ambulance teams face in reaching victims due to active gunfire, hazardous roads, landmines, and explosive remnants of war.
The testimony further cites field reports regarding the death of a woman in the Wateer area on November 5 after a shell struck near her home, as well as the case of an elderly man in one of the Sabir villages whom rescue teams could not reach for two days while attempting to provide medical aid. SAM emphasizes that incidents field workers are unable to reach do not indicate an absence of casualties, but rather reflect the extreme difficulty of monitoring and verification in affected areas.
Data from the Taiz Governorate Health Office cited in the briefing indicates that available medical oxygen reserves have dropped to approximately 2%, and fuel to 5%, while available emergency medicines and medical supplies stand at roughly 30%. The data also reveals that 12 hospitals and 18 health centers are at risk of shutting down, 120 health facilities have gone completely out of service, and 66 facilities are only partially operational.
The briefing notes that 15 ambulances have been damaged or looted, 22 intensive care unit (ICU) beds have been lost, and dialysis services relied upon by approximately 1,100 patients are under threat, with an estimated 6,300 monthly dialysis sessions at risk of disruption. According to the figures provided, the most vulnerable groups include 186,415 children under the age of five, 22,986 pregnant women, and 32,809 children suffering from malnutrition.
The testimony explains that several kidney failure patients have already faced reductions in their dialysis sessions, while cancer patients struggle to obtain treatment and medication. Furthermore, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) face difficulties admitting cases or operating incubators due to fuel shortages, and blood banks and donation centers lack the necessary supplies to draw, test, and store blood. Dalia Mohammed notes that several wounded individuals require medical evacuation outside Yemen, but movement restrictions and travel barriers further complicate their access to treatment.
According to the briefing, years of blockade have deprived city residents of regular access to the water fields and wells in the Al-Hawjalah area. Meanwhile, the recent escalation in Al-Dhabab has, per the testimony, led to Houthi control over most of the remaining water sources there, accompanied by restrictions on access and usage. The witness also stated that farmers have been prevented from reaching their lands or continuing agricultural activities, threatening the livelihoods of rural families and disrupting food production and local market supplies.
The briefing describes how movement restrictions have extended to roads connecting the city to surrounding districts and villages, as well as certain internal roads and residential neighborhoods. According to the testimony, shelling, gunfire, sniper threats, and damaged infrastructure—including sections of the Hayjat Al-Abd road, alongside reported shootings and detentions along the Al-Kurbah–Al-Sihi road—are obstructing the movement of patients, students, farmers, and families, severely limiting civilian access to hospitals, markets, and sources of income.
The briefing addresses the piling up of garbage in residential neighborhoods after sanitation trucks were unable to reach the main landfill, citing reports that they were barred from passing through the Al-Hajanjar checkpoint. According to Health Office data included in the briefing, average weekly medical consultations have declined by 27%, while suspected cases of dengue fever have risen by 26% and acute watery diarrhea cases by 22%. While the briefing stops short of definitively attributing the surge in cases directly to waste accumulation, it warns that the piling and burning of refuse adds severe health and environmental hazards to an already overburdened population and healthcare system.
Additionally, the testimony raises concerns regarding paramedics and human rights monitors facing threats, arrest, and targeted attacks while performing their duties. It also notes reports of wounded civilians allegedly abducted and transferred to areas outside Taiz, prompting the organization to call for independent verification and follow-up on these accounts.
SAM stated that the testimony, combined with the health data presented, reflects an accumulation of life-threatening risks for civilian families—where the injured may lose their chance at treatment, chronic patients are unable to maintain regular care, and displaced families face acute shortages of shelter, water, and food. Based on available information, the organization held the Houthi group responsible for the blockade, the restrictions imposed in areas under its control, and the attacks and violations attributed to its forces, demanding independent investigations into these incidents and accountability for those responsible.
SAM called upon governments, diplomatic missions, UN agencies, and international organizations to condemn unlawful attacks on civilians and residential areas, and to work toward ending the blockade, opening roads and crossings, and ensuring freedom of movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid. It also demanded the provision of fuel, oxygen, medicines, and medical supplies; support for intensive care, dialysis, neonatal units, and medical evacuations; and guaranteed civilian access to water sources and agricultural lands.
The organization further urged that sanitation trucks be permitted access to the landfill, called for enhanced protection for internally displaced persons (IDPs), medical and humanitarian personnel, and human rights defenders, and demanded unhindered access for ambulance teams to reach the injured. It also called on the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen to prioritize lifting the blockade on Taiz and protecting civilians, and urged OCHA, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other humanitarian actors to intervene to prevent the collapse of life-saving services and meet the urgent needs of residents and IDPs.
Tawfiq Al-Hamidi, President of SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, stated that protecting civilians in Taiz requires practical measures to ensure their access to medical treatment, water, and food, open roads for patients and humanitarian supplies, and investigate reported attacks and violations. The organization reaffirmed its readiness to share available field information and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to follow up on the incidents documented in the briefing.