Yemen's Houthis free crew of ship held for more than a year over Israel-Hamas war
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast.
DUBAI — Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported Wednesday.
It said the crew were handed to Oman “in coordination” with the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza’s war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes within the framework of our solidarity with Gaza and in support of the ceasefire agreement,” it quoted the Houthi Supreme Political Council as saying.
The crew is made up of 25 nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, according to the car carrier’s owner, Galaxy Maritime. The vessel was chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen.
The Galaxy Leader was escorted to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Houthi-controlled north Yemen after being boarded by Houthi forces at sea on Nov. 19, 2023, soon after the outbreak of war in Gaza.
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