The Houthis have released the crew of merchant vessel M/V Galaxy Leader, according to posts on X shared by the spokesman for the Yemen-based group.
The Galaxy Leader crew was released on the directive of Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis, in coordination with Hamas and through mediation by Oman, according to a post on X reshared by Mohammed Abdul Salam, the spokesman for the group.
The Associated Press reported that Hamas asked the Houthis to release the crew of the merchant ship.
The Houthis seized Galaxy Leader in November 2023 at the beginning of its campaign against merchant shipping in the Red Sea. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd, which is owned by Ray Car Carriers, which is co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, according to the BBC. At the time of the Houthi seizure, the group was targeting ships linked to Israel. Throughout its campaign in the Red Sea, which extended to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, the Houthis also began targeting ships that visited Israeli ports or were linked to the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
The multinational crew, which consists of 25 merchant sailors, left Sana’a International Airport for Oman, reported Saba, the Houthi-run media site.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that lists the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. The State Department previously listed the group as a specially designated global terrorist organization in January 2024.
The Houthis may have released the crew to prevent the Trump administration from announcing the new designation, which the Biden administration revoked in 2021, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told USNI News.
“Though the move is a welcome one, especially for the family of the crew, it would be a mistake to let the Iran-backed group control the narrative that this is just tied to the ceasefire,” Taleblu said.
It’s unclear how the Houthis will respond to any increased efforts from the Trump administration to counter the group in the Red Sea, he said.
The Biden administration’s goal was to degrade the Houthis’ capabilities by attacking weapons depots, radar sites and command and control centers, among other infrastructure. Based on the executive order, the Trump administration wants to eliminate their capabilities.
“It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate Ansar Allah’s capabilities and operations, deprive it of resources, and thereby end its attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” reads the executive order, referring to the official name of the Houthi movement.
The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes after a Monday speech by al-Houthi in which he reiterated that the Houthis would continue to watch Israel following the ceasefire that began Sunday. The Houthis are prepared to return to military action if Israel violates the ceasefire, al-Houthi said.
He also predicted that there will be future fighting between Israel and Hamas, adding that the Houthis will be ready to support Hamas.
Al-Houthi previously announced that the Houthis would stop their attacks on Red Sea shipping, although the Houthis say they may still attack Israeli ships, the AP reported.
The Houthis said they attacked the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group on Jan. 18, according to a post on X by Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e. The alleged strike happened before the ceasefire officially began.
U.S. Central Command did not respond to the Houthi claim but posted a picture of flight operations on USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on Sunday.
