The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas led to the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners from Israel and three Israeli women hostages from Gaza on Sunday after 15 months of war in the region.
This has raised hopes that Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea region will also soon come to an end, although analysts cautioned last week that it might take some time before the route becomes safe.
According to Sea Trade Maritime, the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) of the Houthi forces in Yemen has released a statement declaring that it will be lifting its ban on vessels passing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region with the exception of wholly Israeli-owned and flagged vessels.
"Vessels wholly owned or flagged by Israel are prohibited from transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Sanctions on these vessels will be lifted upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement,” the statement said.
According to the HOCC, this means the Houthis will stop targeting vessels heading to Israel’s ports, vessels owned by companies in the US, UK, or sailing under their flags, and vessels partially owned by Israeli individuals or entities, as well as those managed or operated by Israeli individuals or companies.
However, the Houthi’s warned in the statement that any UK- or US-led attacks against Houthi-held territory in Yemen could lead to the ban being reinstated.
According to the Yemen News Agency, the country’s official spokesman for the armed forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that the armed forces would issue an important statement “in the coming hours” on Monday.
