Yemen's Houthis free crew of Galaxy Leader after over a year, Al Masirah TV reports

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on 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 comprised 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.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Monday the group was ready to act if Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

"We are in constant readiness to intervene immediately at any time the Israeli enemy returns to escalation, genocidal crimes and siege of the Gaza Strip," he said.

The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's devastating air and ground war against Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year.