DUBAI: An Israeli air raid last month on a key Yemeni port was a “possible war crime” that has threatened food and aid supply for millions, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

The July 20 attack on the western port city of Hodeida, controlled by Houthis, came a day after the rebels claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv.

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Tel Aviv strike that killed one person could also constitute a war crime by the Houthis.

The Israeli response decimated the Hodeida port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least nine people, according to the Houthis who hold much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa.

HRW said “at least six civilians” were killed in the strikes which “reportedly injured at least 80 others”.

The rights group noted that the Hodeida port “is critical for delivering food and other necessities to the Yemeni population”. The damage “could have a long-term impact on millions of Yemenis who rely on the port for food and humanitarian aid”, it said.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024