Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned last month’s Israeli airstrikes on Hudaida Port in western Yemen, labeling them as a “possible war crime.”
On July 20, at least six civilians were killed and over 80 others were injured when Israeli warplanes targeted more than two dozen oil storage tanks, two shipping cranes in the Yemeni port, and a power plant in the province.
The strikes occurred a day after a Houthi drone attack killed one Israeli and injured four others in Tel Aviv.
HRW stated on Monday, “The attacks appeared to cause disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian objects,” adding that “Serious violations of the laws of war committed willfully, that is deliberately or recklessly, are war crimes.”
Niku Jafarnia, HRW’s researcher for Yemen and Bahrain, warned that the Israeli attacks on Hudaida “could have a lasting impact on millions of Yemenis in Houthi-controlled territories.”
“Yemenis are already facing widespread hunger after a decade-long conflict. These attacks will only deepen their suffering.”
Hudaida Port is a vital lifeline for Yemen, with about 70 percent of the country’s commercial imports and 80 percent of its humanitarian aid passing through it.
HRW emphasized that “The applicable laws of war prohibit deliberate, indiscriminate, or disproportionate attacks on civilians and civilian objects. An attack not directed at a specific military objective is indiscriminate. An attack is disproportionate if the expected civilian loss is excessive compared to the anticipated military gain of the attack.”
The organization also warned that governments continuing to supply arms to Israel risk complicity in war crimes.
“The Israeli airstrikes on critical infrastructure in Hudaida could have a profoundly devastating impact on many Yemeni lives over the longer term,” Jafarnia added. “Both the Israelis and the Houthis should immediately halt all unlawful attacks affecting civilians and their lives.”
Regional tensions have escalated as a result of Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza, which has killed over 40,130 people, mostly women and children, and injured 92,700 others since October 7 last year following a Hamas attack.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
