An official declaration of halt has arrived from the Yemeni guerrillas but the truce would lapse if hostilities resumed in Gaza

The Houthis have officially announced that they have suspended maritime attacks against Israel and lifted the so-called naval blockade of Israeli ports. This announcement appeared at the end of a letter (reported by some Anglo-Saxon media) sent to Hamas's military wing, Kata'ib al-Qassam, by the newly appointed Houthi chief of staff, Yousef Hassan Al-Madani, who succeeded Mohammed Al-Ghamari after his death in an Israeli airstrike.

Houthi attacks, which killed at least nine sailors and sank four ships, have forced world trade to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope over the past two years, multiplying ton-miles and freight rates.

A temporary pause

While confirming a temporary pause, Al-Madani added that if the conflict in Gaza were to continue, the Houthis would consider resuming their operations, including renewed pressure on the sea routes. Since the truce between Hamas and Israel began on October 10, the Houthis have not claimed any new attacks.

Resume trade through the Suez Canal.

Meanwhile, Egypt has said it is developing plans to resume trade through the Suez Canal. French container line CMA CGM tested the return to the Suez route this week with a westbound voyage on its MEX service, following two eastbound voyages on its FAL1 line

Related : Search for survivors after Houthis sink second Red Sea cargo ship

An international maritime coalition 

Against the backdrop of these Houthi attacks, the United States led an international maritime coalition in December 2023 under the name “Prosperity Sentinel,” and has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes in cooperation with Britain, targeting missile and drone launch sites and weapons depots belonging to the group in Sana’a, Hodeidah and Saada.

 Operation Rough Knight 

Later, in March, Trump launched Operation Rough Knight against the group, allowing the Pentagon to expand its targeting for approximately eight weeks before Oman brokered a ceasefire. This led to a suspension of Houthi attacks against US ships on May 6, excluding Israeli vessels or those connected to Israeli ports.

It is noteworthy that in their latest statement, the Houthis warned all international companies dealing with Israeli ports, stating that any ship with a "commercial, logistical, or operational" connection to those ports would be targeted.

Agencies 

Israeli ports. Operation Rough Knight , Prosperity Sentinel, Houthi attacks , Suez Canal., CMA CGM ,Yousef Hassan Al-Madani,suspend hostilities , Red Sea