The Houthis have announced that they are going to suspend attacks on ships in the Red Sea after the signing of an agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Bloomberg reports this with reference to a statement by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

According to him, the Yemeni Houthis will comply with the agreement, but may resume attacks on ships if Israel violates it.

“Any Israeli advance, massacre or siege – we will be immediately ready to provide military support to the Palestinians,” he stated.

At the same time, the Security Cabinet of Israel ratified the ceasefire agreement on the evening of January 17, 25. Now the agreement must be submitted for final approval by the full Cabinet of Ministers. After that, on Sunday, January 19, the agreement will come into force with the release of the first hostages and prisoners.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the decision to approve the agreement and says he expected the government to do so as well in the near future.

“This is a vital step toward honoring the state’s basic obligations to its citizens,” he stated.

Release of hostages

According to the Guardian, nine sick and wounded Israelis will be released in exchange for 110 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.

The release will take place in stages. It is expected that three Israeli hostages will be released on Sunday, four more on the seventh day, and four more at the end of each week of the truce. The first phase of the agreement is to take place during the initial 42-day ceasefire, during which negotiations for a permanent settlement will be held.

Men over 50 on the list of 33 hostages will be released in exchange for prisoners serving life sentences at a ratio of 1:3, and 1:27 for other sentences.

Palestinian prisoners considered responsible for the murders of Israelis will be released not in the West Bank, but in the Gaza Strip or abroad in accordance with agreements with foreign states.

It is also expected that among those released would be five female soldiers, each of whom would be exchanged for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted militants serving life sentences.