Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday (20 January) announced a major shift in their operations in the Red Sea corridor, signalling that they will cease targeting non-Israeli ships following the fragile ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip.

The leader of Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group would monitor the implementation of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza and continue its attacks on vessels or Israel if it is breached.

Yemen's Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israel-linked ships provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented, the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOOC) said. The Sanaa-bsed HOCC,

The Yemen-based Houthis signaled a pause in their months-long attacks on commercial ships following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Maritime security officials said on Thursday they were expecting Yemen's Houthi militia to announce a halt in attacks on ships in the Red Sea, after a ceasefire deal in the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

The second reason is politics. The Houthis have made it clear that any re-opening of the route is contingent on the modalities and progress of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the implementation of which began on Sunday. “There are still many ifs and buts to the situation,” the executive said.

Yemen's Houthi rebels announced they will direct attacks only towards Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea following a Gaza ceasefire. They halted previous sanctions on other vessels, having targeted about 100 since November 2023 amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Despite recently touting a Suez route, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said it will stick to Cape of Good Hope until further notice.

The Houthis said they will stop attacking US and UK vessels in the Red Sea area in response to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement after a year-plus campaign that’s upended global trade.