UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt visits Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Monday to press for an end to the war in Yemen and t

According to Aljazeera, the visit comes at a time when Riyadh, already under scrutiny for civilian deaths in Yemen air strikes, is facing global criticism and potential sanctions over the murder of Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate on October 2.

Britain has called for a "credible" investigation into Khashoggi's killing and has pushed for new action at the United Nations Security Council to try to end hostilities in Yemen and find a political solution to the war there.

"The human cost of war in Yemen is incalculable: with millions displaced, famine and disease rife, and years of bloodshed, the only solution is now a political decision to set aside arms and pursue peace," Hunt said in a statement.

"So today I am traveling to the Gulf to demand that all sides commit to this process."

Hunt's comments come as Saudi-Emirati backed forces intensified fighting against the Houthi rebels for control of the strategic port city of Hodeidah. 

Bessma Momani, a professor at Canada's University of Waterloo, noted 80 percent of all food and medicine comes through the key port and the fighting threatens to cut off those much-needed supplies.

"What we're seeing from the Saudis and Emirates is to really recapture Hodeidah before potential peace talks that are scheduled for the end of the year. That's the strategy overall but of course it comes at an enormous cost to civilians," Momani told Al Jazeera.