Houthis release crew of Israel-linked ship over a year after seizure off Yemen coast

Iran-backed Yemeni rebels say they freed sailors from Philippines, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Mexico after Oman’s mediation, ‘in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza’

The crew of the Israeli Galaxy ship, which was seized by the Houthi group, sit under a poster of the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badruldeen al-Houthi, on their ship in the port of Saleef, near Hodeidah, Yemen, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
The crew of the Israeli Galaxy ship, which was seized by the Houthi group, sit under a poster of the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badruldeen al-Houthi, on their ship in the port of Saleef, near Hodeidah, Yemen, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Wednesday they released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

“This step comes in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” the Houthis said in a statement on rebel-controlled SABA news agency.

Israel and the Hamas terror group reached a hostage-ceasefire deal that went into effect Sunday and has so far seen the release of three Israeli hostages from Gaza and 90 Palestinian security prisoners, and a stop to fighting, more than 15 months after the terror group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The Houthis said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that’s long been an interlocutor with the Houthis.

Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release, though an Omani Royal Air Force jet took a flight to Yemen earlier Wednesday.

The Houthis also said Hamas separately requested the Houthis release the ship’s crew of 25, who included mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.

This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, November 19, 2023. (Houthi Media Center via AP, File)

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

The Bahamas-flagged, Japanese-operated Galaxy Leader is owned by a British company, which in turn is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham “Rami” Ungar.

The Houthis — whose motto calls for “death to Israel” and “a curse upon the Jews” — hijacked the Galaxy Leader with a helicopter-borne raid on November 19, 2023, ostensibly over its connection to Israel.

Propaganda footage of the raid has been played constantly by the Houthis, who even shot a music video aboard the ship at one point and have turned it into a tourist attraction.

The rebels then conducted a campaign attacking ships in international waters, targeting over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, seizing one vessel and sinking two, and killing four sailors.

The rebels have maintained that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have had little or no connection to Israel or its allies, including some bound for Iran.

A Houthi supporter holds a mock rocket during an anti-Israel demonstration in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa on January 22, 2025. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP)

On Monday, the Houthis signaled they now will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, but warned wider assaults could resume if needed.

As late as Saturday the rebels were still launching drones and missiles targeting Israel, which has warned it will continue to strike Houthi leadership.

The Houthis have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and some 320 drones at Israel since they started attacking the country in 2023.

Israel and Western allies carried out several sorties against Houthi targets in Yemen, but they have failed to stem the attacks.

In the vast majority of the Houthis’ attacks, the missiles have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses, or have fallen short before reaching the country. However, a few drones and missiles have hit Israel, causing casualties and damage in several cases.

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