Yemen’s Houthi rebels free Galaxy Leader crew

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen Houthis rebels said Wednesday they had freed the crew of the Leader of the Galaxya vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on ships in the Red Sea corridor as part of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The passage through the Houthis supported by Iran marks their latest effort to defuse their attacks following the ceasefire in Gaza. It also comes as US President Donald Trump is likely considering whether to reinstate the terrorism designation he gave to the group that had been revoked by President Joe Biden.

The rebels said they freed the sailors after mediation by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula that has long been an interlocutor with the Houthis. Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release, although an Omani Royal Air Force plane took a flight to Yemen earlier Wednesday and took off again about an hour after the Houthis’ announcement.

The Houthis also said Hamas had separately requested the release of the bodies from the ship. crew of 25 people, which included sailors from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.

“This measure supports the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” the Houthis said in a statement carried by the rebel-controlled SABA news agency.

Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, called the release of the crew “comforting news that ends the arbitrary detention and separation they and their families endured for more than a year “.

“This is a step in the right direction, and I urge Ansar Allah to continue these positive steps on all fronts, including ending all maritime attacks,” he added, using another name for the Houthis.

The ship’s connection to the Israeli billionaire

Houthi rebels said they hijacked Galaxy Leader because of its ties to Israel. They then carried out a campaign targeting ships in international waters, which only ended with the recent ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

A representative for the Galaxy Leader’s owners had no immediate comment Wednesday.

The Bahamas-flagged ship is affiliated with Israeli billionaire Abraham “Rami” Ungar, known as one of Israel’s richest men.

The Houthi attack on the Galaxy Leader saw the rebels launch a helicopter raid. Propaganda footage of the raid was continuously broadcast by the Houthis, who even filmed a video clip aboard the ship at one point.

On Monday, the Houthis indicated they would do so from now on limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor, only to vessels affiliated with Israel after a ceasefire begins in Gaza Stripbut warned that wider assaults could resume if necessary.

However, this is unlikely to be enough to encourage global companies to return to the crucial route for shipping goods and energy between Asia and Europe. Their attacks have halved traffic through the region, significantly reducing revenue for Egypt, which manages the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

The release of the ship’s crew could be an attempt to curry favor with the United States, even though the ship still remains docked off the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.

“This gesture by the Houthis could be intended as a goodwill measure towards the new Trump administration, potentially aimed at delaying their designation as a foreign terrorist organization,” said Yemen expert Mohammed al-Basha of the risk consultancy Basha Report.

Houthi attacks target more than 100 commercial vessels

The Houthis have targeted more than 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have seized a ship And sunk two in one campaign it also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones were either intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to hit their targets, which also included Western military ships.

The rebels had maintained that they only targeted ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom. However, many of the vessels attacked had little or no connection, including some bound for Iran.

The pace of Houthi attacks has slowed in recent weeks, particularly involving ships at sea. This may be due in part to the US airstrikes campaign. The United States and its partners alone have struck the Houthis more than 260 times, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The Israeli military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters but say women and children account for more than half of the deaths.