A boat from a previous flotilla action displays a VFP flag. [Source: Anadolu Ajansı]
VETERANS FOR PEACE STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
Veterans For Peace applauds the heroic efforts of the Global Sumud Flotilla, US Boats to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to uphold international law and break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza, allowing the delivery of much needed humanitarian aid. We condemn the illegal actions of the Israeli Occupation Forces, who attacked the Gaza Sumud Flotilla in international waters hundreds of miles from Gaza. We demand the release of flotilla organizers, who are being held and tortured in an Israeli prison. We demand that the humanitarian flotillas be allowed to proceed to Gaza. We demand that Israel end its genocide against the Palestinian people and its horrendous invasion of Lebanon. Furthermore we call for an end to the U.S./Israeli war on Iran and for an end to U.S. taxpayer dollars going to Israel while it continues genocidal, expansionist policies that are setting the entire Middle East on fire.
“The launch of our vessels is a direct response to Israel’s escalation,” said Retired U.S. Army Colonel, VFP member and FFC organizer Ann Wright. “Where governments fail, people are stepping up—organizing across borders and refusing to accept a world where war crimes are normalized.”
We encourage Veterans For Peace members, friends and allies to take the following actions, as outlined by US Boats to Gaza.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
1. Learn more about the US Boats to Gaza campaign.
- Visit the US Boats to Gaza website: - https://usboatstogaza.org/
2. Demand the immediate release of flotilla organizers.
- Call the U.S. State Department: +1 (202) 647-4000
- Demand the U.S. secure the release of Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila
- Demand protection for U.S. citizens and accountability for Israel’s attack
3. Contact your elected officials.
- Tell them to speak out against Israel's piracy on the high seas and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
- Rep Rashida Tlaib is circulating a Congressional letter. Ask representatives to sign on. You can use THIS LIST for offices to prioritize when calling.
- Demand an end to U.S. complicity and military support for Israel
- Ask representatives to demand safe passage for the flotilla to Gaza
4. Organize locally.
- Join or start actions at ports, weapons manufacturers, and government offices
- Be part of the growing global mobilization
PLEASE READ THE URGENT APPEAL FROM US BOATS TO GAZA, BELOW
End the Genocide—Support the Gaza Flotillas!
Dear US Boats to Gaza / Freedom Flotilla family,
Just days after Israel’s violent assault on unarmed civilian vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in international waters near Crete, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is pressing forward—not retreating.
On Saturday, May 2, we launched four new vessels from Siracusa, Italy, determined not to yield to Israeli aggression. One of these boats, Adalah (Justice), is sailing because of you. Your support made it possible.
But the stakes have escalated.
On April 29, Israeli forces attacked 22 out of 55 Global Sumud Flotilla vessels in international waters—over 600 nautical miles from Gaza. Israeli commandos smashed and disabled boats (at least one has reportedly sunk), and abducted 175 civilians who were on board.
This was piracy. This was state terrorism on the high seas.
Survivors—a number of them bloodied, with broken bones and injuries requiring medical care—were dumped in Crete more than 24 hours later. But two flotilla organizers--Saif Abu Kishek and Thiago Avila--remain in Israeli captivity. They were taken to occupied Palestine, where they are being arbitrarily detained, beaten, and subjected to baseless accusations of “terrorism”—the same smear used to criminalize Palestinian existence and global solidarity.
Instead of condemning Israel's egregious aggression and kidnapping of civilians on the high seas, including 15 U.S. citizens, on May 1, 2026, the U.S. State Department issued a shameful statement smearing and threatening the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Despite violence and threats by Israel and the United States, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is pressing on.
While our boats carry a modest amount of humanitarian aid, the flotillas are not about delivering aid. They are a challenge to an illegal and deadly blockade. They are about breaking the siege and the system of impunity that leaves Palestinians in need of aid.
While governments continue to shield Israel from accountability—even when their own citizens are attacked—civil society is moving. From the sea to the ports to the streets, a global movement is rising to confront genocide, blockade, and lawlessness.
We need you in this moment.
We will not be deterred. We will not be silenced.
Please TAKE ACTION as outlined above.
Follow the live video feeds: https://www.youtube.com/live/O-NNQzfCwLU
Track the flotilla here: https://freedomflotilla.org/ffc-tracker/
In solidarity and struggle for a liberated future,
US Boats to Gaza team
The U.S. Campaign of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition