In a statement welcoming the humanitarian pause in the Israel-Gaza war, G7 foreign ministers noted their “commitment to work with all partners in the region to prevent the conflict from escalating further”, and urged “all parties not to threaten or interfere with lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by all vessels”. “We especially call on the Houthis to immediately cease attacks on civilians and threats to international shipping lanes and commercial vessels and release the M/V Galaxy Leader and its crew, illegally seized from international waters on November 19”, they added. A Houthi spokesperson subsequently highlighted “their repeated warnings to ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or working with it that they would be vulnerable to being targeted as a result of the brutal aggression and unjust siege on the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people”, asserting that the 19 November seizure was “in solidarity with the Palestinian people…The fate of the ship is linked to the choices of the Palestinian resistance and to serve its goals in confronting the Zionist aggression”.