Houthis release crew of Galaxy Leader after more than a year of captivity

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a commercial ship the militants hijacked in November 2023 as they began attacking ships in the Red Sea in support of Hamas.

The U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, confirmed the release of the crew members in a statement, as did the Mexican Foreign Ministry, which said two of its nationals who were members of the crew had been released. Three Ukrainians, two Bulgarians, one Romanian and 17 Filipinos were also members of the crew.

The decision to release the crew was tied to the agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, the Houthi-run al-Masirah news channel reported, citing a statement from the rebel group. The Houthis made the move “in coordination with the Hamas movement and the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman” — a neighbor of Yemen whose government has often mediated between the Houthis and other countries — al-Masirah reported. The crew was handed over to Oman, the channel said, citing an unnamed source.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said it was “important to mention” that because the Houthis had conditioned the release of the crew upon the ceasefire and improvement of conditions in the Gaza Strip, it was the ceasefire agreement that “facilitated their release.” The Mexican ambassador to Saudi Arabia received the two Mexican crew members in Muscat, Oman, the ministry said.

A spokesman for the company that manages the Galaxy Leader, a Bahamian-flagged ship, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite the release, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to designate the Houthis a Foreign Terrorist Organization, citing its attacks against U.S. Navy warships in the region and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, as well as against infrastructure and civilian targets in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump had first designated the Houthis as both an FTO and “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group in the final days of his first term. Former president Joe Biden lifted those sanctions in response to concerns by humanitarian organizations that they prevented lifesaving assistance from reaching Yemeni civilians.

Source » washingtonpost.com