Human Rights Watch released a report on Monday that said the July 20 Israeli airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah could be a war crime since the attack caused disproportionate harm to civilians.
The Israeli airstrikes, which came in response to a Houthi drone attack that killed one civilian in Tel Aviv, targeted oil storage tanks, shipping cranes, and a powerplant. The strikes killed six civilians, all employees of the Yemen Petroleum Company, and caused an estimated $20 million in damage.
“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,” HRW said.
According to the Yemen Data Project (YDP), the Israeli attack resulted in more civilian harm than the hundreds of strikes the US and the UK have launched on Yemen since January combined.
YDP put the death toll in the Israeli attack at nine civilians and said 83 more were wounded. It said the US and British bombing campaign had killed a total of 19 civilians and injured 55 others.
The Israeli attack on Hodeidah could have a lasting impact on the millions of Yemenis who live in Houthi-controlled areas. From 2015-2022, a US-backed Saudi-led coalition imposed a blockade on Houthi-controlled Yemen, which is where most Yemenis live. During that time, the Saudi-led war on Yemen killed at least 377,000 people, more than half of which died of starvation and disease caused by the siege.
Yemenis have had some relief since a Houthi-Saudi ceasefire was enacted in April 2022, but the Israeli attack on Hodeidah and the new US bombing campaign threatens the flow of aid and imports in general.
“The Israeli attacks on Hodeidah in response to the Houthis’ strike on Tel Aviv could have a lasting impact on millions of Yemenis in Houthi-controlled territories,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW. “Yemenis are already enduring widespread hunger after a decade-long conflict. These attacks will only exacerbate their suffering.”
The US has continued its bombing campaign in Yemen, which was launched in response to Houthi attacks on Israel-linked shipping. The US and British strikes on Yemen have only escalated the situation as the Houthis expanded their targeting of commercial shipping.
The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel in response to the genocidal war in Gaza. The drone in Tel Aviv was the only one to cause any casualties inside Israel. HRW said the Houthi drone attack may also “amount to a war crime.”
Tautology at its best. Israel targeting civilians? Shocking!
The ICC awaits…!
The charter for the UN was written by the U.S., which includes the ICC, ICJ. It is rather hypocritical for the U.S. to say that the rulings against Israel are without merit.
The US did not write the charter by themself. This is a simple fact. Look it up.
Israeli war crime? Another case of "fill in the blank".
No. one. cares. except people who have no access to the halls of power. This is all theater. Israel will continue to murder, rape, maim, and destroy the cultures of any Volk who happen to come into the range of their weaponry.
This is all an exercise in futility for the simple reason that we collectively voted for comfort in exchange for our sovereign rights as politically active, informed voters.
The Israeli economy is a mess. IDF soldiers are tired of the war ( bored too, so they shoot children).
They don't shoot children because they are bored. They shoot children because that is their policy.
To Israelis, small Palestinian children are the source of the problem. If they could get rid of the kids, pretty soon there'd be no more Palestinian adults. And then, no more kids. The Israeli final solution to the Palestinian problem.
"could be a war crime" What nonsense.
1. The Houthis chose to fire on international ships. It was Houthis decision to join the war. Israel was not a threat to them.
2. The ships that they fired on were not carrying military cargo. They are commercial ships.
3. Houthis also fire at Israel cities.
So Israel retaliates for Houthis killing a civilian with single bombing run with just a few planes and somehow people think that Israel is committing a war crime? Nuts. For 76 years Palestinians have not learn this simple lesson, don't attack Israel. And if you do attack Israel don't whine about how bad Israel hits you back.
How long would Americans feel angry and upset if a group of foreigners destroyed a large piece of infrastructure or a building in a major port city here? Like, for example, in New York City. What would Americans do?
Just wondering…
It would be easier and more surprising if you pointed out when Israel is not committing war crimes.
The problem is no amount of good that Israel can do would compensate the bad they’ve done, that would represent as surprising…!
Could be…?! It's either Was or Was Not…!
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization headquartered in New York City that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Wikipedia
Non-governmental…?! Any institutions in NYC and elsewhere in US is always under the influence of US government… Not to mention that some of its founders are related to the genocidal regime…!
"disproportionate harm" What a dumb idea. Military targets almost always have dual use.