DUBAI (Reuters) – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the vessel off the coast of Yemen, Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.
The crew were handed to Oman “in coordination” with Palestinian militant group Hamas after a ceasefire deal in Gaza was brokered with Israel, Al Masirah TV, which is owned by the Houthis, said.
The vessel’s crew is made up of 25 nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, the ship’s owner Galaxy Maritime said.
The vessel was chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen.
The Bahamas-flagged car carrier was taken to the port of Hodeidah in the Houthi-controlled north of Yemen after being boarded by the group at sea on Nov. 19, 2023 after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea area since the war in what they describe as a show of their solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire last week, suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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