Houthi fighters have said in a statement that they would deal "positively" with any efforts to lift the suffering of the Yemeni people, a sign that they could accept a five-day humanitarian ceasefire proposed by Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis political council said on Sunday that they would like to see humanitarian aid delivered to the Yemeni people as soon as possible.

The statement added that the Houthis want talks between political factions to be held under the umbrella of the United Nations. Rebel sources told Al Jazeera that the group would never accept talks to be held in Riyadh, or any other nation involved in the Arab coalition that has been bombing the country since March 26.