Dozens killed in airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeida

At least 20 people were killed on Thursday in an airstrike outside a hospital and the bombardment of a fish market in Yemen's rebel-held port city Hodeida, medics and witnesses said.

"The number of people killed in the two attacks has reached 20," a doctor in the Red Sea city told AFP, with other medical sources putting the number of wounded admitted to hospital at 60.

Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition have been conducting an offensive to capture Hodeida from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but announced they were pausing the assault to give UN mediation efforts a chance.

In a bid to prevent an all-out fight in Hodeida, the UN special envoy for Yemen has been pushing to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.

Yemen's government has called for rebels' "unconditional withdrawal" from Hodeida but the Houthis have long refused to hand over the city.

The UN says a total of 47,230 displaced households from Hodeida have been registered as of 24 July.

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On Wednesday, the UN children's agency warned of the potential for another cholera outbreak after airstrikes hit water facilities and other civilian infrastructure in Hodeida.

The three-year stalemated war has killed over 10,000 people, badly damaged Yemen's infrastructure and crippled its health system. 

The country is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 22.2 million people in need of assistance.

Malnutrition, cholera and other diseases have killed or sickened thousands of civilians over the years.

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