The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it delivered medical supplies to Taiz for the first time in weeks since the Houthi militia surrounded the Yemeni city.
The ICRC "delivered four trucks of essential medical supplies to Taiz city, including surgical kits to help hospitals treat weapon-wounded patients," it said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is the ICRC's first delivery of medical supplies to hospitals in Taiz City since 23 September, just before the intensification of fighting in the area," ICRC spokesperson Hachem Osseiran said.
Houthi militia have encircled Taiz since early October, blocking the road that links it to Aden, the interim seat of the internationally recognised government.
The United Nations has repeatedly sounded the alarm over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Taiz, where Houthi militia have restricted the entry of basic supplies.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher had on Monday urged the warring parties to open roads to allow aid into Taiz.
"Roads are closed, and supplies are running out. Water production has halved. Food prices have soared by at least 50 percent. Hospitals are running out of fuel and medicines," he said.
"We have food and medicine ready to move. Open the roads and let them through. Civilians cannot be held hostage by the fighting," he added.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthi militia seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa, while the government and allied forces retain Aden and substantial areas of southern and eastern Yemen.
Renewed fighting has shifted front lines, particularly along the Red Sea coast, and control of some areas remains contested.
The latest escalation, which began in July, has marked the most extensive fighting since a UN-brokered truce brought relative calm in 2022.
As clashes intensified in September, the Houthi militia seized key areas in Hudaida and Taiz provinces and advanced as far as Mayun Island.
Government forces launched Operation Dawn of Yemen to retake Houthi-held territory and restore control over the strategically important area.
