Greg Stoker
WHAT HAPPENED
Greg Stoker, a former U.S. Army Ranger and antiwar activist from Austin, Texas, was detained on October 1, 2025, when Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean as the civilian aid fleet of more than 40 boats sailed toward Gaza. Stoker, one of five U.S. military veterans aboard the vessel Ohwayla, was taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and then held at Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert alongside hundreds of detained activists, including Greta Thunberg. According to KUT and Stars and Stripes, he was released after roughly five days and flown to Slovakia, arriving in Bratislava before returning to Austin on October 7. Speaking from Slovakia, Stoker said detainees who remained imprisoned had begun a hunger strike after Israel denied insulin to diabetic members. His congressman, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, worked with Stoker's family to help secure his release; the State Department dismissed the flotilla as a "meaningless political stunt."
TESTIMONY
“I can be an inspiration, I guess, but I definitely don't want to be called a hero.” — Greg Stoker, former U.S. Army Ranger and flotilla detainee
SOURCES
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
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