US Congressman Ro Khanna and over twenty fellow California Democrats urged immediate action by the Trump administration to secure the release of American citizens seized by Israeli forces following an unprovoked assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla last week.
In a letter to Secretary Rubio, the lawmakers said 21 US nationals “remain in Israeli detention,” naming Californians David Adler, Tommy Marcus, Geraldine Ramirez, and Logan Hollarsmith among those held.
Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International, was part of the flotilla’s “non-violent mission to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza,” the lawmakers wrote.
“We call on you to immediately do everything in your power to ensure the release of these U.S. citizens and to ensure their fair and safe treatment,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers further urged the administration to “work for the immediate and safe release, including arranging the logistics of a plane to ensure their speedy recovery, of U.S. citizens who were on the flotilla and are still being held in Israeli prisons, including California residents.”
Israeli naval forces intercepted and seized the flotilla’s vessels in international waters beginning Wednesday, detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had sought to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge Israel’s unlawful and inhumane blockade of Gaza.
Israel has enforced the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million Palestinians, for nearly 18 years—tightening its grip through systematic restrictions that have devastated the enclave’s economy and trapped civilians in dire humanitarian conditions.
Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble, creating widespread famine and disease in what humanitarian agencies describe as one of the worst man-made crises of the century.