Last week, David Adler released what he said would be the final exchange he boarded a ship toward Gaza, carrying medical supplies, food and other aid.
Southern California people wrote that the night before, several Israeli naval vessels “threatened” a convoy of about 40 ships.
“They attacked our ships, intimidated our crew and disabled our communications,” he said in an October 1 post.
Not long after, his parents were given regular messages to their parents, who lived near the San Fernando Valley in Encino, and his sister and brother stopped.
The 33-year-old co-founder of the left-wing political group Progress International, a 33-year-old co-founder of more than 450 peace activists, medical staff and other volunteers, known as Gaza Sumud Flotilla, was detained in the Israeli Navy to intercept ships in international waters late last week.
His family said they had been unable to contact him since October 1, but about a day later he was taken to the main cargo port of Ashdod, Israel, and then transferred to Ketziot prison in the Negev desert.
“I can’t talk to him, I don’t know what his figure looks like, and it really scares me,” said Adler’s mother Ruth Kremen.
A group of California Democrats urged the State Department to promote the release of several Californians and other detained U.S. citizens in a letter Monday.
“The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens abroad and must act immediately,” they said in the letter. This was signed by 24 Congressional delegates and other officials and sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We call on you to [their] Release immediately, including arranging the logistics of the aircraft to ensure its rapid recovery. ”
Hundreds of detained fleet activists, including Greta Thunberg, a well-known Swedish activist, have been expelled from Israel and flew to Athens in recent days. However, as of Monday night, only a few U.S. participants were released, and as of Monday night, there were 21 participants left.
In addition to Adler, the detainees included three other Californians: Internet celebrity Tommy Marcus, who is located in the Los Angeles area; Geraldine Ramirez, the cathedral city of the Coachella Valley; and Logan Hollarsmith of San Francisco.
California Rep. Rohanna (D-Fremont), who signed the letter, told The Times he heard that the Americans would be released about the next day. But without the explicit arrangements of the U.S. State Department, they could be transported by land to neighboring Jordan, even if other countries have arranged flights to bring their citizens home.
“What I heard from my family was frustration,” Kana said. “This is a priority for the California delegation – ensuring that our voters return safely. We are putting pressure on Israel.”
Instead of responding to the New York Times request for comment, the State Department said in a statement to other news outlets that it has taken “serious assistance to U.S. citizens and [is] Monitor the situation. ”
“The fleet is a deliberate and unnecessary provocation. We are currently committed to achieving President Trump’s plan to end the war, which has been widely welcomed, and is a historical opportunity to achieve lasting peace,” the State Department said.
More than a month ago, Gaza Sumud Flotilla’s core ship set sail from Barcelona, Spain, with volunteers from dozens of countries providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel’s two-year siege on the land killed more than 60,000 people. Authorities say Israel’s bombing campaign and its months-long lockdown triggered a famine in Gaza and won charges from the UN Commission of Inquiry and the International Legal Institutions that U.S. allies are underway for genocide. Israel rejected the claim as “distorted and false” and believed that the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, inspiring Israel’s war in Gaza was itself an act of genocide. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in that attack.
Although Adler’s family supports his cause, his mother and sister said they tried to dissuade him from joining the ship, fearing their safety – knowing that in a fleet attack in 2010, 10 militants were killed, including Turks, and dozens were injured.
Adler’s father Paul said: “We both trust him to do what he thinks is right and are very proud of what he does, but the level of anxiety is absolutely high.”
Adler, the Jewish, wrote in an article for the country that his grandfather joined the Parisian resistance to the Nazis and he drew inspiration from his legacy for joining Flotilla.
“I joined this fleet like any other representative – it was too late, it was too late. But at Yom Kippur, I also remembered that I was here too, because my Jewish heritage demanded it,” Adler wrote.
Laura, sister of Adler, who lives in Connecticut, said that within 24 hours, the family did not know his fate.
“It sounds stupid, saying you’re happy to find your brother in prison, but I’m happy to know he’s physically safe,” she said. “I just don’t understand why our country is the biggest supporter of Israel and can’t be more confident in protecting its foreign citizens.”
The family said that because Adler obtained nationality through his father in France and Australia, they received some information about his status from reports compiled by representatives of these countries. By contrast, the U.S. government lacks details.
Another Southern Californian was in a convoy of about 10 ships last week.
Emily Wilder, an independent journalist and human rights researcher based in Los Angeles, is working for the news media Jewish trend fleet. “As a passenger on the ship on the same track towards Gaza… a captive toward Israeli forces,” she said, “she “really cared about the people who have been captured and are currently in Israeli custody.”
“But, of course, such a mission is inherently risky,” Wilder said.
