The first UN aid ship has been allowed access to a port in rebel-controlled Yemen, three weeks after the Saudi-led coalition shut down all of the country’s borders.

The blockade, put in place as retaliation for a rebel Houthi missile which was intercepted near the Saudi capital of Riyadh, has pushed the war-torn country even further towards complete humanitarian catastrophe.

Enough food arrived at the port of Saleef on Sunday to feed 1.8 million people in northern Yemen for a month. Aid agencies warn, however, that without unfettered access to commercial imports and goods such as fuel generators which power hospitals and treat drinking water, the country is still on track for a large-scale famine.

Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year

More than 7 million Yemenis already live on the brink of famine and 20 million – two-thirds of the population – are dependent on aid to survive.

As a result of the latest blockade, the World Food Programme estimates an additional 3.2 million people have been pushed into hunger.

The Arab coalition, fighting on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government, said on 22 November that key sea and airports would reopen following satisfactory reviews of the UN’s inspection procedures to prevent weapons smuggling.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

UN planes carrying cholera vaccines and other medical supplies touched down in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa on Saturday. Hodeida’s ports – through which the majority of Yemen’s imports flow – were still blocked as of this weekend.

“I reiterate my plea to everyone with a heart for children, not to prevent us from delivering what is urgently needed and massively needed,” said Geert Cappelaere, Unicef’s Middle East director.

“Yesterday was just a very small step.”

More than 10,000 people have died in the two-year conflict to date as a result of violence, starvation, the world’s largest cholera epidemic, and other diseases. Aid agencies warn that the true statistics are likely to be much higher.

Saudi Arabia and its regional partners have justified an extensive bombing campaign on Yemen’s Shia Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Kingdom’s regional rival Iran.

The intense air strikes, which in some cases have targeted hospitals and funeral gatherings, have killed thousands of civilians.