HRW says Israeli strikes on Yemen's Hodeidah Port a possible war crime
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According to Human Rights Watch, the Israeli occupation's airstrikes on the Yemeni Hodeidah Port, which targeted oil facilities, may amount to a war crime.
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Oil tanks burn at the port in Hodeidah, Yemen, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP)
The July Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah Port may have amounted to war crimes due to their indiscriminate or disproportionate impact on civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Monday.
The airstrikes, conducted on July 20, targeted what the Israeli occupation described as Ansar Allah military facilities near Hodeidah, including oil facilities and a power station.
According to HRW, the attacks resulted in the deaths of at least six people and injuries to over 80 others. The strikes came just one day after a Yemeni drone targeted Tel Aviv, killing one person.
HRW's report highlighted that the Israeli strikes in Hodeidah destroyed more than two dozen oil storage tanks, two shipping cranes, and a power plant in the Salif district of the province.
The organization emphasized that the attacks seemed to inflict disproportionate harm on civilians and civilian infrastructure, raising concerns about potential war crimes.
"The attacks appeared to cause disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian objects. Serious violations of the laws of war committed willfully, that is deliberately or recklessly, are war crimes," the HRW report stated.
Hodeidah a vital lifeline for Yemen
The strikes also resulted in significant environmental damage, with satellite imagery showing that the oil tanks burned for at least three days, raising concerns about the long-term impact on the region's environment and public health.
Hodeidah is a vital lifeline for Yemen, with around 70% of the country’s commercial imports and 80% of humanitarian aid passing through the port. The recent attacks have further endangered the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, where millions rely on these imports for survival.
It is noteworthy that the spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces confirmed the "attacking of targets in Yemen," at the time, stating that the Israeli raids were "a response to hundreds of Yemeni attacks against Israel over the past months."
For his part, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, emphasized that the armed forces "will not hesitate" to strike vital Israeli targets in the Israeli entity and that operations in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza will not stop regardless of the consequences.
The Yemeni people "are preparing for a long war with this enemy ["Israel"] until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted and the crimes committed by the Israeli enemy against the Palestinian people in Gaza are over," Saree said at the time.
