Despite Israeli Kidnapping, We Will Continue to Sail Boats to Gaza |
In the evening of Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Israeli naval forces attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza. An unknown number of Israeli military ships went over 700 miles to attack a 54 ship flotilla that was headed for Gaza to attempt to break the illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring worldwide attention to the continuing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, the destruction and occupation of southern Lebanon and the attacks on Iran.
Twenty-one boats were attacked by Israeli naval forces about 80 nautical miles west of the Greek island of Crete in international waters; 179 participants from 33 countries were taken against their will from boats that were damaged by Israeli naval forces and put onto a commercial cargo ship that may arrive at the Israeli port of Ashdod around Saturday, May 2.
We anticipate that they will be processed at a dock facility in Ashdod, then transported to an Israeli prison and in three to five days deported from the country with a 10-100 year ban on returning to Israel, which means that one cannot get to the West Bank for actions in solidarity with Palestinians who are under attack by Zionist Israeli settlers who steal Palestinian land and animals and burn Palestinian houses and cars.
Fifteen US citizens were among the 179 that were kidnapped by Israeli forces.
As a US citizen in opposition to the US government complicity, no matter which political party is in power, in Israeli attacks on Gaza, I have been a part of the flotilla movement since 2010.
Thirty-two flotilla boats remain afloat, although many were damaged by Israeli naval forces and may be forced into ports on the large Greek island of Crete for repairs. No doubt the Israeli naval forces will be lurking like sharks in the waters off Crete........