The International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday it delivered four trucks of essential medical supplies to Taiz city in Yemen, including surgical kits meant to help hospitals treat people wounded by weapons².

Reuters also reported that the Red Cross had delivered essential medical supplies to Taiz, which it described as besieged; the full Reuters article was not available without a subscription¹.

The ICRC said the delivery was intended to support health facilities that have been under strain and are now under extreme pressure because of ongoing fighting².

Christine Cipolla, the ICRC head of delegation in Yemen, said timely access to care for people with severe injuries or critical conditions can be a matter of life or death, regardless of which side of the front line they are on².

The ICRC said that in recent weeks it had also delivered emergency medical supplies to several hospitals on the front lines, including facilities near Taiz city, despite difficulty reaching areas heavily affected by fighting².

Those facilities, the ICRC said, included Taiz Al Rahidah Hospital, Taiz Military Hospital, Hayfan Hospital, Taiz Central Hospital, Taiz Demnat Khadir PHC, Al-Dumay Al-Ahkum Hospital and the Taiz Health Office².

Cipolla urged parties to the conflict to keep facilitating safe and sustained access so impartial aid can reach people in need, and said health facilities, the wounded and the sick must be protected and medical staff allowed to work².

The ICRC statement did not specify the total tonnage of Wednesday's shipment, how long the supplies are expected to last, or whether commercial roads into Taiz remain closed².