• Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi demanded that Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza by Tuesday, March 12, or face renewed naval operations.
• Israel agreed to permit 600 aid trucks daily into Gaza, along with 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes, but has severely restricted deliveries and halted all aid.
Yemen’s Houthi movement has issued a firm deadline to Israel: allow humanitarian aid into Gaza by Tuesday, March 12, or face the resumption of naval operations targeting Israeli interests. The ultimatum, delivered by Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi in a televised address on March 8, underscores growing regional frustration with Israel’s failure to uphold commitments made in the January 19 ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Under the terms of that deal, Israel pledged to permit 600 aid trucks daily into Gaza, alongside 200,000 tents and 60,000 mobile homes over a 42-day period. However, deliveries have consistently fallen short, and last week, Israel halted all aid shipments into the territory. In his speech, al-Houthi described the closure of Gaza’s crossings as a deliberate tactic, labeling it a “war crime” and an attempt at “genocide through starvation.” He warned that continued obstruction would prompt the Houthis—formally known as Ansar Allah—to reinstate their maritime blockade, a campaign paused after the ceasefire took effect.
The Houthi leader also highlighted Israeli actions beyond Gaza, citing the demolition of homes and mosques in the West Bank, the displacement of over 40,000 residents, and restrictions on Palestinian access to religious sites during Ramadan. He accused Israel of pursuing a broader escalation, supported by the United States, which recently approved an additional $12 billion in arms sales to Israel. The Houthis’ response, al-Houthi stated, reflects a refusal to tolerate what he termed an intolerable assault on Palestinian survival.
Hamas welcomed the Houthi stance, issuing a statement on Friday that praised Yemen’s readiness to confront Israel’s blockade and urged other Arab and Islamic nations to follow suit. The Palestinian group characterized Israel’s aid restrictions as part of a “fascist” strategy to deprive Gaza’s population of basic necessities.
With the Tuesday deadline approaching, the prospect of renewed Houthi naval operations raises the stakes in an already volatile region. Israel’s persistent curtailment of aid, in defiance of its ceasefire obligations, has fueled this standoff—one that may soon test the limits of international tolerance for its policies in Gaza.
