The Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel that they confiscated shortly after the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
The Iran-aligned group said in a statement on Wednesday that the 25-strong crew of Filipinos, Mexicans, Romanians, Bulgarians and Ukrainians who spent 430 days in captivity were transferred to Oman by order of Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi.
The Supreme Political Council of the group said the release came “in coordination with the Hamas movement and the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman”.
It took place “within the framework of the battle to support Gaza and in support of the ceasefire agreement”, the council said.
The Galaxy Leader was hijacked by armed Houthi fighters who rappelled down from a helicopter and escorted it to a Yemeni port in November 2023. The Bahamas-flagged vessel is affiliated with Abraham “Rami” Ungar, one of the richest men in Israel.
Since November 2023, the Houthis launched more than 100 attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, along with some in the Mediterranean Sea. The group said it was acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s war on Gaza. The attacks have sunk two vessels and killed at least four people.
The group also directly attacked Israel, with some projectiles getting through missile defences or being partially intercepted, leading to limited casualties.
In the wake of the Houthis attacks on shipping, the United States and United Kingdom launched several air attacks on what they said were Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Israeli military has also launched multiple rounds of major air strikes on several Yemeni governorates since the summer, killing Houthis and civilians and targeting oil depots, ports, power stations and other critical infrastructure.
Julien Harneis, United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, told a UN meeting on Tuesday that the use of the critical port of Hodeidah is down to just 25 percent of capacity due to Israeli strikes.
“[The] impact of air strikes on Hodeidah Harbour, particularly in the last weeks, is very important,” said Harneis, adding that four out of the five tugboats needed to escort large ships into the harbour had been sunk.
After a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza on Sunday, the Houthis said they would limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israel-linked ships.
Al-Houthi, the group’s leader, said in his first televised speech after the ceasefire that the Yemeni group remains “ready to escalate” if Israel reneges on the agreement.
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