Several veterans and other U.S. Americans are aboard the Ohwayla, one of over 50 boats that make up the Flotilla. Israel intercepted the ships last night, taking several crews hostage over the course of hours while others raced toward the shores of Gaza undeterred. Eventually, after racing an Israeli prison barge, smoking and singing, and expressing their steadfastness and hope, the Ohwayla went dark and the crew was most certainly abducted by the Israeli military.

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Navigating dangerous storms, equipment failures, and violent Israeli assaults, global citizens aboard the Flotilla remained steadfast. Their goal was not just to deliver the desperately needed aid packed into their ships, but to pressure the world to join them in breaking the siege and establishing a humanitarian corridor into Gaza. Nation-states failed to protect the Flotilla, but the people of the world are rising up and Palestinians in Gaza are asking the world to do a lot more.

As of the time of this writing, the five U.S. American veterans and four civilians that make up the crew of the Ohwayla are almost certainly being held in Israeli detention. Given what we know about how the Israeli military treats its detainees, it’s likely they are being terrorized and harmed alongside the hundreds of other Flotilla members who were taken last night and early this morning. At the most risk of all are Flotilla crew members of color who are certainly being treated with more extreme violence, just as we saw when Black American and union organizer. Chris Smalls was abducted from the Handala in July.