Yemen cancer patients face 'grave' crisis amid Saudi blockade, Houthis claim

Yemen's cancer patients are confronting an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis, with the Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health directly attributing the suffering to the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia. The ministry's spokesperson, Anees al-Asbahi, stated that severe shortages of medication and restrictions on travel for treatment are worsening the situation for an estimated 120,000 cancer patients.

The rebel authority claims that 60% of cancer drugs are now unavailable, and approximately 28,000 patients have died in recent years due to a lack of adequate treatment or the inability to seek care abroad. Between 2021 and 2025, over 15,600 patients required treatments not available within Yemen. The Houthis also reported the disappearance of 1,329 drugs, including 12 chemotherapy medications, and the withdrawal of 83 international pharmaceutical companies from the Yemeni market due to import restrictions.

The crisis disproportionately affects children, with 30% of children needing leukemia treatment abroad having died, and around 3,000 minors with the same illness lacking necessary medicines. The closure of Sanaa airport prevents international travel, forcing many patients to undertake long road journeys to Aden. Import restrictions also hinder the arrival of essential materials for diagnosis and treatment, such as helium for diagnostics, radioactive sources for radiotherapy, and radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer.

In response, the Houthi ministry has called on the UN and international organizations to advocate for the reopening of Sanaa airport and the easing of maritime restrictions. This plea comes amid a recent escalation of conflict, with hostilities resuming between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in July, breaking a UN-brokered truce. The tension heightened after the bombing of Sanaa airport's runway, leading to Houthi retaliatory attacks and a rebel maritime blockade in the Red Sea.