Released American hostage Tom Hayes received a hero's welcome at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio yesterday Sunday October 12, 2025.
He was among the nearly 500 Sumud Flotilla crew who were taken hostage by the Israeli pirates on October 3 in internarial water about 100 miles away from Gaza shores.
All Global Sumud 46 vessels were intercepted by Israel as it was sailing to break the siege in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged and starving people in the Strip. They carried food, water, baby formula, and toys for kids.
Several dozen people from Central Ohio and some from Athens in Ohio came to Columbus airport to give Tom Hayes the welcome he deserves: A hero's welcome! After all, he risked his life for the people of Gaza and for justice.
When Hayes saw the well-wishers with signs and balloons, he screamed from the top of his lungs repeatedly "Free, Free Palestine!" One of the well-wishers gave him a plant of olive trees, which is more than just a tree in Palestine but rather a symbol of resilience, rootedness, and deep connection of the Palestinian people to their land.