The Deluge toll: 1,000 Houthis killed in 19 months
In an attempt to reap political gains, the Houthi militia rushed to involve itself in the Gaza war. What initially appeared to be a winning bet quickly turned into a nightmare and a heavy price to pay.
The human losses suffered by the group were the largest in its history, striking at its core leadership. Among them was the death of Mohamed Abdel Karim al-Ghamari, the Houthi chief of staff and the driving force behind the group’s military wing.
The militia recently admitted to al-Ghamari’s death, along with several ministers from its unrecognized government.
The Houthis have come under a series of US, British, and later Israeli airstrikes that have inflicted severe losses on the Iran-backed insurgent group.
One thousand dead
Over two years of the Gaza war, the Houthis entered the front lines seeking to capitalize on the conflict and regain political relevance as their domestic popularity waned. However, this move triggered devastating American and Israeli strikes that destroyed much of their military infrastructure.
The three ports of Hodeidah were destroyed, cutting off vital smuggling routes and a key economic lifeline.
According to figures, more than 1,000 Houthi officers and field commanders were killed over 19 months, most of them in US and Israeli strikes.
Between November 2023, when the group began its operations under the pretext of “supporting Gaza,” and May 2025, when US strikes stopped, the Houthis lost 707 officers claiming false military ranks.
After that date, the militia banned the circulation of funeral reports to conceal the extent of its human losses.
The total also includes the deaths of over 294 field commanders and fighters who were not granted official military ranks, either to hide their organizational roles or due to tribal discrimination.
These losses came from direct American, British, and Israeli strikes, internal skirmishes on active fronts, and clashes with local tribes opposed to Houthi rule in their territories.
Senior leadership losses
Over the 19-month period, the Houthis lost more than 21 senior leaders holding the ranks of “general” or “brigadier,” the highest designations awarded by the militia to its first- and second-tier commanders.
Among the names listed, are Mohamed al-Jarmouzi, Mohamed al-Junaid, Abdel Karim al-Ashmouri, Hassan al-Qatrifi, Hamdan Naji al-Jabli, Yahya Mohamed al-Hassani, Abdallah Ahsan al-Rassas, and Moti Mohamed Ali Aayed.
The group also lost 62 colonels—usually commanding key combat units or ideological battalions—along with 43 majors, 138 captains, 162 lieutenants, 153 second lieutenants, 128 first lieutenants, 79 non-commissioned officers, and 215 individuals whose ranks were deliberately withheld.
The Houthis held over 288 funeral ceremonies, including 131 in Sanaa in 2024, with the naval forces topping the list of losses after US airstrikes targeted their bases in Hodeidah.
These figures cover only the losses publicly acknowledged by the militia during the 19-month period, before it banned all media coverage of its dead and their burials.
