Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released the 25-member international crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader after more than a year of detention. The release, announced on Wednesday, coincided with the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began on Sunday.
The Galaxy Leader, a Bahamas-flagged and British-owned vehicle carrier with ties to Israeli businessman Rami Ungar, was seized on November 19, 2023, during the Houthis’ campaign against Israel in solidarity with Gaza. The campaign, launched weeks after the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, included attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden believed to have links to Israel, the US, or the UK.
Oman played a key role in the release, facilitating the transfer of the crew from the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, to Muscat aboard an Omani air force plane. The crew comprised sailors of various nationalities, including a Bulgarian captain and second-in-command, 17 Filipinos, and others from Ukraine, Romania, and Mexico. Bulgaria’s foreign ministry later confirmed that its government sent a plane to bring its two citizens back home.
At a press conference on the tarmac in Muscat, surrounded by the freed crew, a Hamas official praised the “coordination” between the group and the Houthis that led to the release. Footage of the event was broadcast by the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel.
Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, called the release “heartwarming news” and urged the Houthis to end all maritime attacks. Arsenio Dominguez, head of the International Maritime Organization, emphasized the importance of diplomacy in ensuring the safety of seafarers, stating that they should not become collateral in political or military conflicts.
During their detention, the Galaxy Leader became a symbol of the Houthis’ solidarity with Gaza. The rebels displayed the ship as a public attraction, adorned with Yemeni and Palestinian flags, in the Hodeida province.
The Houthis, part of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” have repeatedly targeted Israel-linked vessels and launched missiles and drones at Israel during the Gaza war. On Tuesday, they announced that, during the Gaza ceasefire, their maritime operations would focus solely on vessels directly tied to Israel.
As the ceasefire holds, international agencies and stakeholders continue to call for an end to maritime aggression in the region, stressing the need to protect innocent seafarers and ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
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