A contingent of activists from the Bay Area participated in a protest flotilla heading to Gaza that was intercepted in international waters by the Israeli military and subsequently deported to Turkey.
The vessel, carrying over 400 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla organization, was stopped on Monday by Israeli naval forces.
Relatives of several Bay Area residents, along with a former San Francisco native, confirmed that their family members were among those expelled from Israel and sent to Istanbul on Thursday.
The group includes North Bay locals Gregory Elias Terry, Kelly Riggle, Silas Beaver, and former San Francisco resident Logan Hollarsmith, according to reports from KQED.
“The Israelis kidnapped these people in international waters,” said Sidney Hollar, mother of Logan Hollarsmith, in an interview with the outlet.
In response, California lawmakers are urging the U.S. government to take action to ensure the safe return of these individuals to the United States.
“Three of my constituents from the Spring 2026 Global Sumud Flotilla have reportedly been detained by the Israeli navy in international waters while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” North Bay Rep. Jared Huffman wrote on X.
“I’m calling on Secretary Rubio and the State Department to ensure their safety and fair treatment.”
He added, “The U.S. has an obligation to protect Americans abroad, and my team and I are working to safely get them home.”
The Flotilla departed from southern Turkey this week before being intercepted on their way to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, before being detained by the Israeli military, per the group.
Earlier this week, video surfaced of Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunting the flotilla activists being pinned to the ground, with two later alleging they were physically assaulted in detention.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, condemned Ben-Gvir’s actions, saying he had “betrayed (the) dignity of his nation.”
Those detained will now remain in Turkey for a few days to receive medical treatment before flying home.
“While I’m super glad he’s coming home, the focus should remain on the need to stop the genocide,” Hollar told KQED. “That’s where the focus of everything should be, the point of what their mission was.”
This was the second time the flotilla was stopped this year, after the same one was intercepted in April, carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
