The Houthi siege is exacerbating hunger and the lack of water and medicine Human Rights Watch said the Houthis are denying citizens food and medicine in Taiz, and are calling for the immediate opening of roads to bring in basic goods and aid. The organization confirmed that the humanitarian crisis has worsened greatly since October, after the Houthis completely surrounded the city and cut off the last main supply route, causing severe shortages of food, fuel, water, medicine and cooking gas. The World Food Program has announced an inability to reach more than 600,000 people dependent on aid in Taiz, warning that supplies of wheat flour will soon run out. According to evidence provided by the organization, the prices of vegetables have doubled, and the price of cooking gas has increased by about 400%, while the residents faced difficulties in finding wheat and flour. According to UN officials, water production in the city has been cut in half, the cost of trucking water has tripled, while a shortage of diesel threatens to stop the water pumps. Doctors reported that road closures and fuel shortages hampered the access of patients to hospitals, especially those suffering from cancer, kidney disease and chronic diseases, amid a shortage of anesthetics and a drop in drug stocks to dangerous levels. The organization reported that the Houthis denied responsibility for blocking roads, while residents, civil society workers and UN officials held the group responsible for the lack of supplies. The organization emphasized that international humanitarian law prohibits starvation of civilians as a method of war, including the blocking of aid supplies, and called on all parties to facilitate the safe arrival of aid and the movement of civilians. Additional details: (repost).