A/HRC/36/33 19 killed and 59 injured to Houthi/Saleh forces and the remaining casualties to proGovernment forces. The shelling also damaged at least nine homes. 27. The shelling of Taizz has been unrelenting, even after the impact of those attacks on civilians and civilian objects had become apparent to the parties involved. The use of such tactics appeared to be in violation of the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks and of the obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects. Airstrikes 28. Coalition airstrikes continued to be the leading cause of civilian casualties in the conflict, killing at least 933 civilians and injuring 1,423, since July 2016. 12 As in past years, OHCHR continued to document airstrikes against targets that appeared to be of a civilian nature.13 In addition to markets, residential areas and public and private infrastructure, the past year witnessed notable airstrikes against funeral gatherings and small civilian boats. Such incidents were widespread and continued to take place, once again, even after the impact of the attacks on civilians had become apparent. Directly targeting civilians and civilian objects or conducting disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks and the failure to take all necessary precautions to avoid and, in any event, minimize, the impact on civilians during air operations targeting military objectives, constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law. Al-Kubra Hall 29. The most deadly incident of the conflict thus far occurred on 8 October 2016, when coalition airstrikes targeted the Al-Kubra Hall in Sana’a during the funeral of the father of a senior official, killing at least 132 civilians and injuring 695, including 24 boys. At the time of the attack, the hall — the largest such facility in Sana’a, with the capacity of holding more than 1,000 people — was full of mourners attending the funeral. Those present included military leaders affiliated with the Houthis and former President Saleh, but the majority were civilians. 30. OHCHR visited the site the same day and was told by survivors that they had heard aircraft hovering above the hall around 3.30 p.m. immediately prior to the two missiles that struck the hall only minutes apart. Many individuals fleeing the first strike had not yet exited the building when the second strike hit. The short interval between the strikes meant that those assisting victims of the first strike were hit by the second. 31. The points of impact of the two strikes were 15 to 20 metres apart. 14 Based on information available to OHCHR, the remnants of the munitions used revealed that they had been fitted with precision guidance units, indicating that the targeting of the hall had been deliberate. Based on the circumstances, including the prior announcement and public nature of the funeral, as well as the timing of the strike, coalition forces should have been aware of the high risk of civilian casualties inherent in carrying out such a strike. Despite initial denials of responsibility by the coalition forces, a subsequent investigation of the incident by the coalition’s Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT)15 found that coalition aircraft had conducted the strike and that it had resulted in “several” casualties.16 According to JIAT, the targeting was based on faulty intelligence provided by a party affiliated with the Government of Yemen, and the airstrike was conducted without proper approval or in non-compliance with coalition procedures. 32. OHCHR verified two other airstrike incidents against funeral gatherings in the past year.17 12 13 14 15 16 17 See annex III. See annex I. See annex II, figure I. See sect. VII below for additional information on the Joint Incident Assessment Team. See www.justsecurity.org/33615/full-text-saudi-led-coalitions-statement-explanation-funeralhall-bombing-yemen/. See annex I. 7