The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after seven more of their staff were detained by the rebels.

The United Nations said on Friday that the Houthis who control northern Yemen had detained seven U.N. personnel, and it was suspending all UN staff movement in Houthi-held areas while seeking the detainees' immediate release.

The Houthis have previously detained UN staffers, as well as individuals associated with the then US Embassy in Sanaa and aid groups.View on euronews

The release is one of several overtures in recent days aimed at easing tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Yemen's Houthi rebels unilaterally released 153 'conflict-related' detainees from Yemen's capital city of Sana'a, according to the statement released by the International Committee of the Red Cross

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has released the crew of a cargo ship more than a year after its fighters hijacked the vessel in the Red Sea, as part of its campaign of attacks in support of Hamas in its war against Israel.

The move will authorize harsher penalties on the Iran-backed group, which has attacked Israel and disrupted global shipping trade in the Red Sea for over a year.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Around 153 prisoners were released by Yemen's Houthis on Saturday with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to a statement by the ICRC. The identities of the prisoners were not disclosed, but the ICRC said they received regular visits by the organization in Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group said that its release of war prisoners on Sunday is a goodwill gesture aimed at advancing prisoner exchanges, which is one of the most complex issues in the Yemeni conflict,

Houthi supporters attend a protest against the United States-led airstrikes on Friday, Jan 12, 2024, in Sanaa, Yemen.

The UN's special envoy to Yemen called for the release of UN staff held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels during his visit to Oman where he met officials