Riyadh — Saudi Arabia’s Al-Sharq Al-Awsat last Monday, reported that the Houthi Ansar Allah Movement in Yemen has allegedly compelled Yemeni women to donate money and jewelry to fight Israel under the pretext of supporting Gaza.
According to the Al-Sharq, this initiative is orchestrated by the Houthi’s all-female security force, known as the Zaynabiyyat, which has conducted a collections drive in various districts of Yemen’s northern Ibb governorate.
An anonymous woman from the Ibb governorate disclosed to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that the Zaynabiyyat made surprise visits to homes, extracting monetary donations from women through threats of pressure and blackmail. These visits reportedly coincide with a media campaign aiming to rally public support against Israel.
The report includes photos, released by Houthi media, depicting Yemeni women providing these donations.
The anonymous source expressed dissatisfaction with the collection drive, suggesting that while donations are purportedly gathered to support Palestine, the funds are, in reality, diverted by the Houthis to finance their war effort against Israel.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched multiple aerial attacks against Israel.
Additionally, they claimed to have captured an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea on October 19. The Iran-backed movement has repeatedly issued threats of further attacks against Israel and U.S. forces in the region.
The reported coercive collection drive adds another layer to the complex dynamics surrounding the conflict in the Middle East.
