Six weeks after Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Israel in the country's history last October, the Palestinian group's Houthi allies in Yemen seized control of a British-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea.The Houthis' audacious hijacking of the Galaxy Leader would mark the start of a sustained campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial shipping in one of the world's most important trade routes.

As the war in Gaza approaches the one-year mark on October 7, Houthi attacks are still disrupting commercial shipping, exposing the vulnerability of the supply chains that form the backbone of international trade.

While a United States-led international force has been able to thwart many attacks, commercial ships continue to be targeted and operators remain hesitant to use the waterway, raising the likelihood that trade will continue to suffer as long as conflict persists in the Middle East.

"Until a broader peace agreement is reached, the risks in the Red Sea are unlikely to diminish significantly," Majo George, a professor at the Business School of RMIT University Vietnam, told Al Jazeera.

"In the meantime, shipping companies are expected to continue avoiding the Red Sea in favour of safer, but costlier, alternatives."

The Houthis, which like Hamas are backed by Iran, carried out 130 attacks in the Red Sea ...