ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's pro-government forces said Tuesday that "around 217 civilians were killed by the Houthi rebels" in the port city of Hodeidah since the declaration of a UN-brokered cease-fire last year.
Statistics revealed that nearly 2,152 others were injured during many cease-fire breaches committed by Houthis in Hodeidah within one year, according to the media center of the pro-government Giants Brigades.
Since the declaration of the UN-brokered cease-fire in Stockholm last year, Houthis have launched repeated shelling attacks at residential areas in Hodeidah, causing high casualties among the civilians, the statement said.
The pro-government forces said that the cease-fire granted Houthis a chance to increase their attacks and provided no protection for the civilians in Hodeidah.
In October, the United Nations started deploying cease-fire observers in Hodeidah, establishing five observation points near the military contact lines between the two warring parties.
The observation points are manned by liaison officers from both parties in accordance with the cease-fire agreement.
As the main Yemeni port city along the coast of the Red Sea, Hodeidah is the key lifeline entry of most Yemen's commercial imports and humanitarian aid.
The grinding war of more than four years has pushed over 20 million people to the verge of starvation.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to its southeastern districts.
The cease-fire deal in Stockholm was seen as the first phase toward achieving a comprehensive political solution to the civil war.
