An Austin activist attempting to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid said he's been detained by Israeli forces.
Former Army Ranger Greg Stoker is part of a mission to Gaza known as the Global Sumud Flotilla. The fleet of more than 40 civilian boats is attempting to bring supplies to Palestinians and break the long-held blockade along the region’s coast.
Demonstrators aboard the boats say Israeli forces peppered them with attacks over the past few weeks as they neared the coastline, and now boats are being intercepted by Israel's navy.
Stoker said Wednesday that his boat had been surrounded by 10 to 12 Israeli vessels and that they were ordered to turn off their engines or "face the consequences." Stoker said on social media that the mission does not violate international law.
"We are currently in international waters in accordance with international and maritime law," he said in a post. "We are a civilian aid mission trying to break the unlawful siege of the Gaza Strip and render aid and open a humanitarian corridor into a people."
As of 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, it was unclear whether Stoker has been taken into custody by Israeli military forces. His boat, the Ohwayla, was still livestreaming on the Global Sumud website.
Israelis detained activists in another flotilla over the summer. The government has said the movement has ties to Hamas, but Global Sumud has denied those allegations.
The flotilla had some naval support from Italy, Turkey and Spain as it made its way across the Mediterranean Sea, but Israeli forces have reportedly attacked the small boats sporadically over the past few weeks.
Illegal interception happening now...!! pic.twitter.com/2Yg9ec07xv
— Global Sumud Flotilla Commentary (@GlobalSumudF) October 1, 2025
Stoker said the boat he was on was attacked with a flashbang grenade dropped by a drone last week. The week before, he said, another vessel was attacked by an incendiary device.
In a conversation with KUT News last week, Stoker said he understood the risks and expected to be detained by Israeli forces. Stoker said he hopes to draw attention to starvation in Gaza and he didn't expect diplomatic cover if his ship was intercepted.
"We don't expect any of that, but we are trying to pressure local representatives to hopefully at least speak out about this and spread the message of what's going on in Gaza," Stoker said.
Stoker was joined on his boat by four other U.S. veterans, with the goal of using their positions to spur more action against Israel's war in Gaza.
"We want to kind of use our position and our cultural and social capital as veterans to ... pressure our local representatives to take a stance," he said.
Late last month, advocates and a coalition of elected officials, including Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett, called on the U.S. to push Israel to guarantee safe passage of the demonstrators. Doggett signed on to the letter of support, which Stoker said was "nice," but that it didn't go far enough.
In a statement to KUT News, Doggett said Israel has waged an "endless war by starvation, while abandoning Israeli hostages," referring to the hundreds of Israelis taken nearly two years ago.
"Greg Stoker and others aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla should be allowed safe passage to bring humanitarian aid to the many suffering," Doggett said. "Mistreatment of the Flotilla participants will only add to Israel’s growing isolation."
In a social media post, the Global Sumud said Israeli military forces had boarded some of the more than 40 vessels and that it was working to confirm the security of the crews.
"Israeli forces have boarded Global Sumud Flotilla vessels. Communication is cut and the status of those on board is unknown," the statement read. "Immediate international action is needed for their safety and release."
