Fuel Shortages Force Taiz Hospital to Shut Most Incubators, Endangering Newborns
- 2026-10-26
- 21:36:52
TAIZ – A severe fuel shortage in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz has forced a major maternity and children's hospital to reduce the number of operating neonatal incubators from 40 to just 10, placing the lives of vulnerable newborns at risk as weeks of fighting continue to disrupt critical supplies and deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Medical staff at the Yemen Swedish Hospital for Motherhood and Childhood warned that dwindling fuel reserves are threatening essential services in the neonatal unit, where incubators rely on electricity and oxygen supplies to keep premature and critically ill infants alive.
“There is no oxygen, there is no fuel to operate the incubators or provide warmth for the babies,” said Nada Ahmed, a nurse working in the hospital’s neonatal department, according to Reuters.
Hospital officials cautioned that the situation could deteriorate further if fuel deliveries do not reach the facility soon. Nawal Najeeb, supervisor of the neonatal unit, said the hospital may be forced to halt operations altogether if the blockade continues to prevent the arrival of vital supplies.
“If the siege continues, it will be a catastrophe for the children, leading to deaths and disabilities,” Najeeb warned.
Taiz has become largely isolated since October 3, after intensified clashes between government forces and Houthi fighters cut off key access routes to the city. The fighting has prevented humanitarian aid from entering and left civilians unable to leave, worsening shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel.
According to local reports, Houthi forces have closed major supply roads, including the strategic route linking Taiz with the southern port city of Aden. The closure has severely disrupted the flow of essential goods into the city at a time when humanitarian needs are rapidly increasing.
The United Nations said Taiz is currently hosting nearly half of the 250,000 people displaced by the latest wave of fighting, placing additional pressure on already overstretched services and resources.