The Houthi-run Health Ministry says 40 others were wounded in the November 7 attack east of Sanaa, while Saudi Arabia says it is investigating the initial allegations. The reported casualties have not been independently verified.
The reported death toll from airstrikes on a village east of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, has risen to 44, including 21 children, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, following an attack on residential homes on November 7.
The ministry also reported that 40 people were wounded in the strikes on Al-Shariya village in the Bani Hushaysh district, approximately 15 kilometres north-east of Sanaa. It said the dead included 21 children and 10 women, while eight children and nine women were among those injured.
The Houthis have blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack. However, the figures and attribution have not been independently verified. Reuters, reporting the initial allegations on November 7, said it could not independently confirm the account. Saudi Arabia’s Center for International Communication said at the time that it was investigating the report.
The increasing casualty toll makes the incident one of the deadliest reported attacks since fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces resumed earlier this year.
Death toll rises following successive casualty updates
Initial reports from November 7 gave different casualty figures as emergency services and local authorities assessed the aftermath.
The Associated Press initially reported that at least 22 people had been killed and 30 wounded, citing Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Reuters subsequently reported a figure of at least 33 deaths and 39 injuries, based on information carried by the Houthi-run Saba news agency and statements from health authorities.
By late Sunday, November 8, the Houthi-run Health Ministry had increased its reported death toll to 44, with 40 people injured. The updated figures were reported by the Associated Press on November 9.
According to al-Asbahi, children accounted for a substantial proportion of those killed. The ministry identified 21 children and 10 women among the dead. Among the wounded were eight children and nine women.
The differing figures reflect successive casualty updates rather than independently established totals. The latest reported figure should therefore be attributed to the Houthi authorities rather than presented as an independently confirmed count.
Rescue teams were reportedly continuing to search damaged buildings for missing residents, raising the possibility of further changes to the figures.
Residential homes reportedly hit in Bani Hushaysh
The strikes took place in Al-Shariya, a village in Bani Hushaysh district east of Sanaa.
According to the Houthi authorities, the attack struck residential homes, causing casualties among people living in the area. Images and video distributed through news agencies showed damaged buildings, debris and residents searching through the remains of structures.
Reuters also reported statements from Abdul-Aziz al-Dailami, director of Sehatuna Hospital in Sanaa, who said victims had been brought to the hospital with serious injuries.
He described patients suffering from injuries to their heads, chests and legs, as well as fractures. He also said that people, including emergency responders, remained trapped beneath rubble.
The hospital director’s account provides additional information about the medical consequences of the attack, although it does not independently establish who carried out the strikes or the circumstances of every reported casualty.
The incident has raised further concerns about the exposure of civilians in residential areas as military operations intensify across Yemen.
Saudi Arabia says it is investigating the allegations
Responsibility for the November 7 attack remains an important unresolved issue.
The Houthi authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the strikes. The allegation was also included in the initial report published by the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
Saudi Arabia’s Center for International Communication told Reuters on November 7 that it was looking into the agency’s inquiry concerning the reported attack.
That response did not constitute confirmation of Saudi responsibility. Nor did it establish whether the reported damage and casualty figures were accurate.
The reporting available by November 10 had not established a public conclusion from the Saudi investigation or provided an independently verified account of the operation.
The distinction is significant because the incident involves allegations of civilian deaths in a residential area. Establishing responsibility requires reliable evidence about the aircraft involved, the intended targets, the circumstances of the strikes and the damage caused.
Without that information, the allegations should remain attributed to the parties making them.
Renewed fighting has undermined Yemen’s fragile truce
The attack comes amid a significant deterioration in security across Yemen.
A United Nations-brokered truce agreed in 2022 had largely halted direct hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis. However, renewed fighting between the group and forces supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has undermined that arrangement, with hostilities resuming in July 2026.
The Houthis, who control Sanaa and substantial parts of northern Yemen, have intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, military positions and energy facilities.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, supporting its Yemeni allies.
The latest fighting has also developed alongside the wider conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, creating additional pressure on regional security and maritime trade.
However, the circumstances of the November 7 attack should be assessed separately from other military incidents rather than automatically treated as part of an identical sequence of operations.
Humanitarian situation deteriorates as displacement increases
The growing number of civilian casualties comes as Yemen’s humanitarian situation remains under severe pressure.
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 200,000 people had been displaced since the latest round of fighting began, with families forced to leave areas affected by military operations.
The United Nations has also warned about the risks facing children as fighting continues.
In September, the World Health Organization reported that more than 122,000 people had been displaced by the latest escalation across eight governorates. It also recorded 3,672 reported casualties, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries, between August 6 and September 18.
The figures illustrate the wider pressure on a health system already struggling to provide essential services. Hospitals face increasing demand for emergency treatment, medical supplies and support for displaced families.
Children are particularly vulnerable in this environment. Beyond the immediate danger of airstrikes, displacement can interrupt education, limit access to healthcare and increase exposure to malnutrition and disease.
The scale of the reported casualties in Al-Shariya adds another serious development to an already deteriorating humanitarian situation.
Questions remain over civilian protection and accountability
The reported deaths in Al-Shariya underline the need for a credible investigation into the circumstances of the November 7 operation.
International humanitarian law requires all parties to an armed conflict to distinguish between civilians and combatants, take precautions to minimise harm to civilians and avoid attacks that cannot lawfully be directed at military objectives.
An independent investigation would need to establish what was targeted, whether military objectives were present, how the operation was conducted and whether appropriate precautions were taken.
It would also need to examine the reported damage to residential buildings and the circumstances in which emergency responders were injured or placed at risk.
The United Nations Security Council has previously expressed concern about the wider escalation in Yemen, civilian casualties and displacement, while calling on parties to respect international humanitarian law and facilitate humanitarian access.
For the families affected by the Al-Shariya attack, the immediate priorities remain medical treatment, the recovery of missing people and support for those who have lost relatives or homes.
Investigation remains central to establishing what happened
The increase in the reported death toll to 44 has brought renewed attention to the civilian consequences of Yemen’s escalating conflict.
Nevertheless, the central questions remain unresolved. The reported casualty figures come from Houthi-controlled health authorities, Saudi responsibility has not been independently established, and no independently verified assessment of the operation has been made available in the reporting reviewed.
Saudi Arabia’s stated intention to investigate the original allegations has yet to produce a publicly established conclusion in the material available by November 10.
A clear account of the incident will depend on further evidence and credible scrutiny of the competing claims.
Until that evidence is available, the reported deaths should continue to be treated as figures attributed to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, rather than independently verified casualty totals.
