Us Ships Return To Red Sea Amid Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. ships are returning to the Red Sea following promises from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to abstain from attacks on American and British vessels.

The pledge, which comes after more than a year of shipping traffic disruption on a major international trade route, was made on Jan. 19, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), as reported by Bloomberg.

Since then, six U.S. and United Kingdom-linked ships have successfully transited the area without the Houthis attacking. 

But the JMIC warned that even with the Houthi promise to hold off on attacks, ships are still under potential threat in the waterway, as vessels linked to Israel continue to be banned.

“JMIC assesses that as the peace agreement progresses and vessels and infrastructure remain untargeted, improved stability is expected; however, the risk in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden remain elevated,” the center said in a report released earlier this week.

The Houthis have been attacking merchant and U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea for more than a year, part of a campaign the rebel group claims is in solidarity with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, which had been fighting against Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023. 

But a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, announced last week ahead of President Trump’s inauguration, prompted the Houthis to allow the American and British commercial ships to return to the region.

The U.S. also has continually kept naval assets in the Red Sea and the Middle East region to fight directly against the Houthis since January 2024. 

Prior to the ceasefire, vessels chose to take the longer route around Africa to avoid attacks in the Red Sea.

It remains to be seen whether commercial ships from other nations may soon return to the waterway.