Ansarallah released the crew of the “Galaxy Leader” ship in coordination with Hamas, highlighting Yemeni-Palestinian solidarity in the Gaza ceasefire framework.
The Yemeni movement Ansarallah announced on Wednesday the release of the crew of the ship ‘Galaxy Leader’ in coordination with the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas and with mediation by the Sultanate of Oman as part of the Gaza ceasefire framework.
The crew, detained for over a year, was handed over to Omani authorities, according to Yemeni media outlets.
In a statement, Ansarallah’s Supreme Political Council noted that the decision was made in consultation with Hamas and through efforts led by Oman, describing the release as support for the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The Galaxy Leader, reportedly owned by an Israeli businessman, was seized by Ansarallah on November 19, 2023, shortly after the start of the Israeli war on Gaza. The ship was taken to the port of Hodeidah in western Yemen.
Yemenis dance on top of the hijacked Israeli-owned ship Galaxy Leader while raising Yemeni and Palestinian flags. pic.twitter.com/DzX1KK8JQQ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 23, 2023
In March 2024, a leader in the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, told Al-Jazeera that Ansarallah had assured them that decisions concerning the ship and its crew were under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Qassam Brigades.
According to the Yemeni news agency SABA, an Omani plane departed Sana’a International Airport with 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader ship on Wednesday.
During a press conference, the Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs reiterated that Ansarallah’s “position is to support the Palestinian people and we will continue with this position”.
For his part, the Hamas representative in Yemen confirmed that There is coordination between Yemen and the Palestinian factions on various issues and the release of the crew of the Galaxy Leader ship is a picture of this coordination,” according to SABA.
Yemeni Armed Forces Seize Israeli Ship in Red Sea – Al-Mayadeen
The Hamas representative stated that “today in Sana’a we are witnessing a picture of the Palestinian victory in the face of the war of extermination that the Gaza Strip was exposed to.”
The representative also thanked Yemen “for its efforts to support the Gaza Strip”.
Since the war on Gaza began, Ansarallah has targeted ships linked to Israeli entities in the Red Sea under the banner of supporting Gaza.
These actions later extended to include vessels operated by American and British entities following airstrikes on Yemen in early 2024. Ansarallah has also launched ballistic missiles and drones at targets in Tel Aviv and Eilat.
(PC, AJA)
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