ALBAWABA - Yemen's Houthi group announced on Sunday the hijacking of an "Israeli" ship in the Red Sea with 52 people on board. However, Israel denied that the vessel was Israel.
In an earlier statement, the spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces Admiral Yahya Sare'e said all Israeli-operated and owned ships are now a legitimate target for the Yemeni Armed Forces.
He posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Based on religious, national and moral responsibility, and in view of the brutal Israeli-American aggression that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to, including daily massacres and genocide, and in response to the demands of our Yemeni people and the demands of free peoples, and to provide relief to our oppressed people in Gaza".
The announcement by Houthi comes amid Israel's non-stop attacks on the Gaza Strip which started on Oct. 7 and left over 13,000 people killed with more than 5,000 of which were kids. In addition, over 30,000 were reported injured in the Israeli aggressive attacks, according to the latest numbers released by the Gaza government.
Meanwhile, Israeli Army Spokesperson Avichay Adraee rejected claims that the Houthi hijacked ship was Israeli and denied any possibility that it has ties with Israeli businessmen. Adraee also confirmed that there's no Israeli crew on the ship.
Adraee said: "The hijacking of a transport ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the Red Sea is considered a serious incident at the global level. The ship is not Israeli. The talk is about a ship that set off from Turkey on its way to India with an international crew on board and no Israelis."
What do we know about the hijacked ship?
Ambry Maritime Security confirmed in a report that "the group that owns the vehicle carrier is registered in the name of Ray Car Carriers. The mother company of this group is listed in the name of Abraham Rami Ungar, and is based in Israel."
Eekad investigative report also added that the Galaxy Leader vessel which has the flag of Bahamas and is used to transfer cars belongs to the "Ray Shipping" company which is registered in Israel.
On the other hand, Tradewinds, a magazine specializing in ship news, explained on its website that the vehicle carrier "is owned and managed by Ray Car Carriers, a British company, and operated by the Japanese NYK group."
Furthermore, Japan’s top government spokesperson confirmed Monday the capture of the Nippon Yusen-operated ship, Galaxy Leader. “We strongly condemn such acts,” chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news conference. "No Japanese nationals are among the crew," he maintained.
He also urged for help from the Saudi, Omani, and Iranian authorities calling for the release of the ship with 25 people on board. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the hijacking of the "Galaxy Leader" ship and said that the crew carried various nationalities; Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans.
A video went viral online allegedly showing the first moment that the Houthi members hijacked and took control of the "Galaxy Leader" ship which the Yemeni group said to be "Israeli".
