Handicap International and five other humanitarian organisations have condemned the air raid led by a Saudi Arabia coalition on a hospital supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Abs, in the province of Hajjah in Yemen.

Oxfam, CARE, Handicap International, Mercy Corps, Save the Children and INTERSOS have all demanded an independent investigation into the events that occurred. It is the fourth attack against a health centre supported by MSF in Yemen in less than a year, according to Handicap International. The raid took place just two days after the bombing of a school in the province of Saada, killing 10 children and wounding 28 others.

"This horrific attack killed the sick and wounded as well as medical staff desperately trying to look after them”, said Director of Oxfam in Yemen, Sajjad Mohammad Sajid. “The international community cannot continue to close our eyes to the suffering of the most vulnerable in this terrible conflict. We call on all parties to the conflict to find a political solution to end the violence and massacres."

"The coalition led by Saudi Arabia claims to have taken measures to prevent and end serious violations against children,” said the director of Save the Children in Yemen, Edward Santiago. “But they are obviously ineffective if children continue to be killed and wounded, and if schools and hospitals continue to be attacked. "

Handicap International has reported that violence resumed last week and that the recent peace talks in Kuwait were therefore deemed to be a failure. They have further reported that millions of people are put at risk given the intensification of the attacks and the closure of the main airport in Yemen.

Handicap International has further stated that of the 785 children killed and 1,168 injured in Yemen in 2015, 60% of them were victims of air strikes. In the past weeks, the number of civilian casualties has continued to rise. The United Nations has made an assessment of 272 dead and 543 injured between April and August 2016.

Lastly the statement by Handicap International added that since the conflict began, more than 2.8 million people have fled their homes because of the daily bombings and shellings. The United Nations and human rights organisations have reported numerous violations of the law of war in Yemen by all parties involved in the conflict.