A senior official of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terror group recently told Japan's All-Nippon News Network (ANN) that the crew of a commercial cargo vessel will be released soon from the group's custody after having spent over a year in captivity.
In an interview with ANN, the official said the release of the crew of the vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader is being facilitated with help from Palestinian negotiators and will take place "in the coming days."
The impending release of the Galaxy Leader crew, who have been in the Houthis' custody since they were forcibly taken from their vessel on November 19, 2023, is one development that came in the wake of the recently brokered ceasefire ending the latest series of hostilities in Gaza between the Israeli government and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Numerous attempts were made to secure the release of the vessel's 25-strong crew, which includes one Romanian, two Bulgarians, two Mexicans, three Ukrainians, and 17 Filipino nationals.
The Houthis had earlier said that they seized the Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier as an act of retaliation following the start of the hostilities in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas.
Israeli officials have refuted the Houthis claims of the ship being affiliated with Israel, clarifying that it is in fact British-owned and operated by a Japanese company.