In a development revealing just how dire the situation is for Yemeni civilians and threatening to compound the catastrophe, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday announced it is pulling 71 of its staffers out of Yemen—a move the organization admits will cripple its humanitarian efforts.

In response, Amnesty International said it marked a “bleak” new low in the ongoing conflict.

In a statement released Thursday, the ICRC cited “a series of incidents and threats,” including a gunman killing one of its staff members in April. Security for its staff, the group said, is “a non-negotiable prerequisite.”

ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart said the group’s activities, including surgical services, clean water initiatives, and food assistance, “have been blocked, threatened, and directly targeted in recent weeks, and we see a vigorous attempt to instrumentalize our organization as a pawn in the conflict.”