Two Mexican sailors, Marcos Gómez Jerez and Arturo Alberto Zacarías Meza, were released in Muscat, Oman, after being kidnapped by Houthi militants from Yemen on November 19, 2023. After 430 days of captivity in Yemen, Arturo Zacarías Meza, a Mexican merchant sailor, was finally released during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The compatriots were welcomed by the Mexican ambassador to Saudi Arabia and staff from the Mexican diplomatic representation. The Foreign Ministry celebrated the return of Marcos Gómez Jerez and Arturo Alberto Zacarías Meza to Mexico.
The hijacking of the ship "Galaxy Leader" occurred in the Red Sea when the Houthi rebels boarded the vessel with a helicopter. The ship, a vehicle cargo ship sailing under the Bahamian flag, was held along with its crew of 25 members from various nationalities, including Mexico.
The assault on the ship was part of a series of missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis in support of Palestine and in response to military operations by Israel. Faced with the impossibility of reaching military targets in Israel, the Houthis decided to disrupt global maritime trade and block the arrival of vessels to Israel.
The release of the hostages was made possible through an agreement mediated by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and the Sultanate of Oman, which facilitated negotiations with the Houthi leader Abdulmalik al Huti. The Houthi Defense Ministry reported that the decision to release the captives was in support of the Palestinian cause and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Arturo Zacarías Meza, originally from Misantla, Veracruz, is back in Mexico and will be welcomed by his family after more than a year of uncertainty and tension.
