Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries called on the Houthis to immediately stop threatening maritime navigation routes and to release the crew of the cargo ship they seized in the Red Sea ten days ago.

The ministers said in a joint statement: "We call on all parties not to threaten or hinder the lawful exercise of navigation rights and freedoms for all ships."

The statement added, "We specifically call on the Houthis to immediately stop their attacks on civilians and threats to international shipping lanes and commercial ships, and to release the Galaxy Leader ship and its crew, which was unlawfully seized in international waters on November 19."

The "Ansar Allah" Houthi group announced on Sunday that it had detained the Galaxy Leader ship, which was sailing under the Bahamian flag, and which the Houthis said belonged to an Israeli company.

The Houthis also confirmed that they detained the ship in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel denied any connection to this ship, pointing out that there is no Israeli on board.