Shipping waits to see Houthi response to Gaza ceasefire deal

Israel and Hamas have agreed on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal following 15 months of war with the shipping industry now looking towards the Houthis of Yemen to see if they will stop targeting merchant ships and bring an end to the Red Sea shipping crisis.

The six-week phase one of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas comes into effect on Sunday. Negotiators are confident phases two and three are expected to be agreed upon in the coming days. 

In support of Hamas, the Houthis from Yemen initiated a campaign against merchant ships passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, targeting more than 100 ships since November 2023, leading to a major rerouting for most ships heading between Asia and Europe. The ensuing Red Sea shipping crisis was selected by Splash editorial staff as the top news item of 2024. The Houthis have repeatedly stated their campaign will continue until Israeli forces leave Gaza. 

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam posted on X celebrating the ceasefire, but did not indicate whether the attacks on commercial shipping would end.

“With this battle reaching its conclusion with the declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian cause was and will remain the first cause for which the nation must assume responsibility, considering the Zionist enemy entity a dangerous entity for everyone, and its continued occupation of Palestine represents a threat to the security and stability of the region, and that there will be no real peace for the region except with the disappearance of this emergency entity planted by force by a Western American force that provides it with the means to survive at the expense of the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region,” Salam wrote on X, according to a translation of the post.

Lars Jensen, who heads up container consultants Vespucci Maritime, has been providing his 144,000 followers on LinkedIn with daily updates on the Red Sea shipping crisis.

Reacting to the ceasefire agreement news, Jensen wrote today: “It seems very likely that [the Houthis] will also await and see whether the ceasefire holds up and whether the details of phase 2 and 3 can be negotiated before withdrawing what – seen from their perspective – is a tool providing pressure against Israel.”

Jensen suggested that shipping lines currently diverting around Africa will want to see not only the ceasefire hold up on Sunday, but also see some meaningful traction on the negotiations for phase two and three of the ceasefire as well as seeing some meaningful statements from the Houthis in terms of no longer targeting merchant vessels.

Speaking with Splash earlier this week, Guy Platten, the secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, stressed that the seafarers from the Galaxy Leader are not forgotten and are released as part of any sustained ceasefire deal. The Galaxy Leader, a car carrier, and its crew were hijacked by the Houthis 14 months ago. 

There have been no confirmed ship strikes by the Houthis in 2025 so far, with the militant group focusing its attacks on Israel directly with drones and missiles. Houthi military installations have come in for increased aerial attacks in recent weeks from Israeli, US, and UK planes.