Hamas has survived Israel’s 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. Now, the militant group is replenishing its ranks, although restocking its weapons supplies will be more difficult.

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

A fire aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia on Tuesday was not linked to Houthi attacks, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center said on Wednesday.

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.

The world’s top three container operators said they fear instability in Gaza and broader regional tensions mean continued danger.

French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM will continue to avoid the Red Sea even though it considers the region is more stable following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, it said on Saturday.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have signaled they will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships as a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip takes hold.

The Galaxy Leader was taken in November 2023 at the start of the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

BEER YAAKOV, Israel (AP) — When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn’t recognize him at first.