Yemen's Houthis To Limit Attacks On Israeli-Affiliated Ships In Red Sea Corridor After Gaza truce

As a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took hold, Yemen's Houthi rebels have signalled they will limit attacks in the Red Sea corridor to Israeli-affiliated ships. The Houthis, through their Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, announced that they were "stopping sanctions" on the vessels it has previously targeted since it started attacks in November 2023, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The rebel group is reportedly planning to issue a separate military statement on Monday about the decision.

Claiming solidarity with the Palestinians, Huthis-- who are part of Iran's "axis of resistance", have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023. They have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, severely disrupting trade routes.

Part of Iran's "axis of resistance", the Huthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. 

They have reportedly targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

Gaza Ceasefire

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into force in Gaza on Sunday, pausing the 15 months of bloodshed in the coastal territory. As part of the deal, Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on the first day of a ceasefire.

The truce also allowed Palestinians to return to bombed-out neighborhoods to begin rebuilding their lives, while relief trucks delivered much-needed aid. 

As part of the three-phased deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, Israeli forces will gradually withdraw from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. 

In the first stage, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50 to Israeli troops over a period of 42 days. The schedule for the release will be such that three hostages will be returned on the first day after the deal is implemented, followed by four more returned on the seventh day.

Subsequently, for a period of the next four weeks, three hostages will be returned every week. The remaining 14 hostages will be released in the final, sixth week of phase one, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

Israel's list included the names of Kfir Bibas, who was taken alongside his now four-year-old brother Ariel and his mother and father, Shiri and Yarden. Kfir, who was abducted when he was just 9 months old, became a symbol of the suffering of the hostages.

In exchange, Israel will release all Palestinian women and children under 19 detained since Oct. 7, 2023, by the end of the first phase. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on the hostages released and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees including men, women and children.

 Negotiations over a second phase of the agreement will begin by the 16th day of phase one and is expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers.

A third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza's reconstruction, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.