Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader vessel, who have been detained for more than a year.
In November 2023, the Houthis hijacked the cargo ship in the Red Sea, brought it to the Yemeni coast and took the crew hostage.
The release came after contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and mediation by Oman, the Houthis said in a statement, published by the rebel-run SABA news agency.
This move comes “in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” it added.
A ceasefire went into effect in the Gaza Strip after US, Qatari and Egyptian mediation between Israel and Hamas.
According to Israeli media, the ship is operated by a company partly owned by a British-Israeli businessman.
The Houthis have attacked ships they said were linked to Israel in the Red Sea, prompting several of the world’s largest shipping companies to suspend transports through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.
