Houthi rebels released the crew of a purchase driving ship after 14 months

Houthi rebels released the crew of a purchase driving ship after 14 months

The Houthi movement in Yemen supported by Iran has the crew of a freight ship more than a year after their fighters kidnapped the ship in the red sea. This campaign was part of her attack campaign to support Hamas in the conflict against Israel.

About the crew of the Galaxy Leader

The crew of the freighter Galaxy Leader consisted of 25 members: 17 Filipinos, three Ukrainians, two Bulgarians, two Mexicans and one Romanian. According to the broadcaster Al Masirah TV controlled by the Houthi, the crew was handed over to an intermediary from Oman.

connection with the ceasefire

The release of the crew takes place only for a few days after Israel and Hamas take a Waffenailge have agreed that the Palestinian in the Gaza Strip gives a breath after 15 months of war. The Houthis had long explained that they would only stop their attacks in the Red Sea if Israel ends his offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Details for kidnapping

The crew had been hostage since November 2023, as an armed Houthis who jumped out of a helicopter with Yemeni and Palestinian flags, the ship stormed off the coast.

follow the Houthi attacks

The Houthis attacks meant that some of the largest shipping and oil companies in the world had to expose their transports through the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world.

reactions to the release

Arsenio Dominguez, the general secretary of the International Maritime Organization, said that the release of the crew was a "profound relief". He emphasized that this breakthrough is proof of the power of collective diplomacy and dialogue and that innocent seafarers should not become collateral damage in geopolitical tensions.

Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, welcomed the "heart-warming" messages about the end of the "arbitrary arrest" of the crew that took 14 months.

Information about the Galaxy Leader

The Galaxy Leader drives under the flag of the Bahamas and is usually used worldwide to transport vehicles. It was one of the dozens of ships that were targeted during the Houthi campaign in the Red Sea.

The role of the Houthis in conflict

The Houthis, one of the conflict parties in the civil war in Yemen, which has been going on for over a decade, played an outstanding role in the conflicts in the Middle East last year. In addition to the attacks on ships, they fired a number of rocket attacks on Israel.

Although most attacks were intercepted by the Israeli air defense systems, the Israeli military reacted with its own air strikes to Houthi goals in Yemen. The United States and the United Kingdom, both allied Israel, subsequently carried out several attacks on the Houthis.

This article was supported by CNNS Sarah el-Sirgany and Mounira Elsamra.