CAIRO – 7 March 2025: Yemeni Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi announced on Friday that his group will resume naval operations against Israel if Tel Aviv does not lift its blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza within four days.
"We declare to the whole world that we are giving a four-day ultimatum. This time is for the mediators to exert their efforts," Al-Houthi stated.
He warned that Houthi fighters will recommence their maritime operations against Israel if they continue to prevent aid from entering the Gaza Strip and maintains a complete closure of the crossings, blocking food and medicine.
“We will respond to the blockade with a blockade, and we cannot remain passive in the face of the Israeli aggression aimed at starving the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Al-Houthi added.
Tel Aviv has halted humanitarian aid to Gaza since last Sunday to apply pressure on Hamas to accept a US-Israeli proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in the enclave, which expired on 1 March.
Israel seeks to extend the first phase to allow for the release of more captives held by Hamas in Gaza without obligation to end the war.
Meanwhile, Hamas has underscored its adherence to all phases of the agreement, pushing for the second phase, which aims to end the war and allow reconstruction to begin.
The halt of aid comes as 96% of the population faces acute food insecurity, with 2.15 million people experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse, according to UN estimates from January.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York that prices for flour and vegetables in Gaza have increased by more than 100 percent following the Israeli closure of the crossings into the enclave.
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