Yemen’s Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israel-linked ships only, provided the Gaza ceasefire is fully implemented, the group has said, potentially reducing disruptions that have affected world maritime trade for more than a year.

The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Centre (HOCC), which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, said on Sunday that it was stopping “sanctions” against vessels owned by United States and British entities, as well as ships sailing under the two countries’ flags.

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“We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor,” it said in an email sent to shipping industry officials on Sunday.

The HOCC said the Houthis would only stop targeting Israeli-linked ships “upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement”.

A spokesperson for the Houthis had told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the group would halt its military operations against Israel as well as commercial ships in the Red Sea if the truce came into force on Sunday.

A ceasefire agreed by Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas to halt the 15-month war on Gaza took effect on Sunday and is set to unfold in three phases over several weeks.

In response to Israel’s war on Gaza, the Iran-backed Houthis carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023, sinking two vessels and killing at least four seafarers.

The Houthis targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East – disrupting international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Many of the world’s largest shipping companies suspended trips through the Red Sea last year and diverted their vessels around the southern tip of Africa to avoid being attacked.

The Houthis have also carried out direct attacks on Israel.

In response, the UK and the US carried out numerous strikes on targets inside Yemen to deter the Houthis. Washington has also levied sanctions on the rebel group.

For its part, Israel has bombed several Houthi-controlled power plants and ports, including Hodeidah port – considered a lifeline for the war-torn nation.

Executives from retail and insurance firms told the Reuters news agency last week that they were not ready to return to the Red Sea because of uncertainty over whether the Houthis would continue to attack ships.

Even though the number of ships targeted is low relative to the volume of traffic, the rebel group’s strategy proved effective at raising shipping costs, including insurance and pay for sailors working in high-risk areas.

Higher risk-insurance premiums, in particular, have meant additional costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a seven-day voyage for any ships sailing through the area.

Reuters quoted a spokesperson for German container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd as saying on Monday that the company was still monitoring the situation, stating “we will return to the Red Sea when it is safe to do so”.

Jakob Larsen, chief safety & security officer with shipping association BIMCO, said “assuming the ceasefire holds … shipping companies are expected to gradually resume operations through the Red Sea”.