Yemenis rally around 9-year-old girl shot in the head by Houthi sniper

A 9-year-old girl who has been shot by Houthi rebels while getting water in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz is in critical condition, local reports said.

The little girl, who has not yet been identified, was pulled to safety by her brother, also a child, and is currently in critical condition in a hospital, according to Yemen expert, Nadwa Dawsari.

A video clip showing the child in question on a hospital bed is circulating social media.

An aerial image of the little girl lying on the ground as her brother attempted to pull her to safety is also being shared across social media as a grim reminder of the violence perpetrated by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

It is unclear whether the young girl was the intended target of the attack, but it is believed that Houthi snipers are stationed on the hill overlooking the neighbourhood where the shooting occurred.

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This isn’t the first instance of civilians being shot by Houthis.

In June a mother, her daughter and her young son were shot and killed by gunmen while travelling on a bus to shop for a wedding dress for the daughter.

Bashir Al-Jaafari and his other were killed during the attack, which saw gunmen open fire on a bus near the Al-Ma’ain area in western Ibb, witnesses at the time told Almasdar Online.

In April, at least five women and a child were killed after Houthi rebels launched an attack on a prison in Taiz.

The child had reportedly been visiting the prison at the time of the attack.

Over 100,000 people – most of whom are civilians – have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition backed the government in March 2015 in what has been referred to by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen is struggling under the weight of a coronavirus pandemic that has particularly hit the southern city of Aden as well as the Houthi-run capital Sanaa.