WASHINGTON

Two American brothers from the Global Sumud Gaza Flotilla said Israel’s interception of the aid vessels in international waters, as they were trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, was “an act of piracy and a war crime” as they arrived at Dulles Airport after days in Israeli detention.

Adnaan and Tor Stumo arrived early Friday and were greeted by family, including their mother Nadia Milleron, and dozens of supporters.

At a news conference at the airport, Adnaan said: “It is an act of piracy under maritime law to intercept civilian vessels in international waters.”

Speaking to Anadolu, the brothers recounted in detail the assault on their civilian vessels in international waters and their detention in Israel.

“Initially, we had bombings, fire bombings on the boats in Tunisia,” said Adnaan Stumo, who captained one of the vessels, Mikeno.

When Israeli forces reached the vessel as they approached Gaza, he said, Israel ordered him to shut off the engine and then blasted the ship with a high-powered water cannon.

“They blasted us with a massive water cannon, injuring two of my female passengers,” he said. “We resisted for over an hour, getting sprayed. They broke many things on the boat, including our internet and our cameras.”

The brothers were detained and transferred to a prison in the Negev desert.

“We were put on prison buses with 21 guys in a small cell, no ventilation or air conditioning,” Adnaan told Anadolu. “You lose all the oxygen, and the heat from our bodies just turned the metal box into an oven … When they finally let us out, we were just gasping trying to get out the door.”

He said they spent five days in overcrowded conditions without access to medical care or clean water. “They said that they don’t provide doctors for animals,” he said.

He criticized the US Consulate for failing to assist them while they were detained.

‘Act of piracy’

His brother Tor Stumo, 26, described the raid on Sumud Flotilla as “an act of piracy and a war crime,” but said activists maintained nonviolence throughout the mission.

“We know the Israelis want every excuse they can to paint us as terrorists,” he told Anadolu. “We were very disciplined in our preparation for the raid and our commitment to nonviolence, because we are civilians, we're on a humanitarian mission, and that was our focus.”

Tor said the flotilla nonetheless succeeded in exposing Israel’s actions and increasing public attention. “Even though we did not succeed this time, we stretched them more thin than they’ve ever been stretched before,” he said. “We view this mission as a success, but a precursor to further missions.”

Nadia Milleron condemned Israel’s blockade of Gaza as “a war crime.”

“The biggest crime that Israel did in this experience with the flotilla was denying humanitarian aid, food and medical supplies to desperate, starving people,” she said.

Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked several Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo and deported activists on board.

It has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years and tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable. A ceasefire to end two years of Israeli bombardment on the enclave was set Thursday.