Yemenis Unable to Reach Hospital Are Part of the Iran War Death Toll

Abdullah, a 58-year-old man from al-Silw district in Yemen's Taiz governorate, lay bedridden as his body succumbed to kidney failure. The city had been under siege for over two weeks, cutting off access to a vital dialysis center in Taiz city. His son, Muadh, 38, described how the situation worsened due to intensified fighting, making it impossible to transport his father to the center.

Abdullah died at home a week later, his mother weeping at his bedside, wishing he had reached treatment on time. Dr. Issam Mahyoub, director of the kidney dialysis center at al-Jumhuri Hospital, confirmed that at least 10 dialysis patients have died since the Taiz siege began due to their inability to reach treatment. Dr. Fouad al-Haddad, the hospital's director, warned that around 60 percent of kidney failure patients in Taiz face the risk of death for the same reason.

The deaths are part of a wider regional war sparked by an unprovoked February attack by Israel and the United States against Iran, resulting in an estimated 10,000 or more casualties, including military and civilian deaths. Dr. Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, emphasized that geopolitical struggles over deterrence, energy security, and regional leverage have led to blocked transit, disrupted medical care, and preventable deaths.

Yemen, already enduring a decade of devastating war, now faces the threat of another humanitarian catastrophe due to the Iran war.