A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may not just reverberate across Gaza — it could upend the maritime battleground in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have turned merchant shipping into target practice.
The Houthis have long justified their strikes on commercial vessels as solidarity with Palestinians — over 100 attacks since late 2023.
Ship operators and insurers will now be watching carefully to see if the militant group scales back operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as early conditional pauses were tied to earlier Gaza ceasefires.
At present, there is no sign of an easing back of hostilities, with Israeli air strikes continuing in Gaza over the weekend, and the Houthis attacking via drone strikes the Israeli port city of Eilat late last night.
A Dutch-flagged ship, Minervagracht, was hit by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, forcing crew evacuation a week ago.
Mediators are set to meet in Egypt today for indirect peace talks between Hamas and Israel. The talks come after Hamas agreed to some parts of a 20-point US peace plan.
