The stain of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spread by sea yesterday after several sources, both in Israel and in Yemen, confirmed that a group of Houthi rebels from that country had boarded and taken control of a cargo ship that , apparently, is linked to Israel at a crucial point on a Red Sea route.
The incident further fuels the fire of the escalation of tension that has been experienced in the Middle East for more than a month between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza. Although at first there was no confirmation from the Houthis, one of their spokespersons later assured Efe of the seizure but without confirming whether or not the ship was carrying an Israeli flag, although he assured that the Israeli ships are among the your goals
In the past month, Yemen’s Houthis, allies of Iran, have been in the spotlight because they are suspected of sending missiles and drones to Hamas allies. Sources from the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, assured that the crew of the Galaxy Leader, with the flag of the Bahamas, is made up of 25 people, among them, Bulgarians, Filipinos, Mexicans, Ukrainians… but why looks like no israeli The Israeli Government has condemned the capture of the cargo ship, which usually carries vehicles, and called it an “act of Iranian terror”. Sources in the Israeli army assured that the attack on the cargo ship was “a very serious incident of global consequences”.
The intercepted ship is owned by a British shipping company operated by a Japanese company. However, the owner company data in the accessible databases indicate that the ownership of Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham Rami, known as one of the richest men in Israel, changes the perspective of the maritime incident.
Ungar himself told the AP that he was aware of the situation, but could not comment further until he knew more about the situation. In no case did he deny being the owner of the ship. It is another example of the intricate system of international maritime trade in which several nationalities are mixed in the same vessel, that of the owner, that of the operating company and that of the country represented on the flag.
Two years ago a cargo ship owned by Rami Ungar suffered an explosion in the Gulf of Oman. At the time, the Israeli press blamed the Iranian regime for the incident. According to the position marked by several satellites, the Galaxy Leader was located sailing through the Red Sea southwest of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, more than a day ago.
The ship was traveling between the port of Korfez, in Turkey, and that of Pipavav, in India. At the time of the hijacking the position indicators were disconnected. The Red Sea from the Suez Canal to the narrow passage of Bab el Mandeb is a key route for international trade. Some US Navy ships have been patrolling the area since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
