Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, said on Thursday that he is working to “confirm the whereabouts and conditions” of New Yorkers aboard Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, which Israel seized on Wednesday night.
“Last night, Israeli forces intercepted and boarded a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza in international waters off the coast of Greece, unlawfully detaining more than 175 people, including several New Yorkers,” Mamdani stated. “My team has been in direct contact with state and federal partners as we work to confirm the whereabouts and conditions of these New Yorkers.”
“This is a brazen violation of international law,” he added. “Those detained must be released.”
It wasn’t immediately clear which international law the mayor was accusing the Jewish state of violating. He has said that he would have the Israeli prime minister arrested in New York City, and his spokeswoman said that synagogues that host pro-Israel events violate international law.
“The fun part about international law is you can just make it up,” stated David Hazony, a writer and director and senior fellow at the Z3 Institute.
The Israeli navy seized more than 20 vessels that were part of the Gaza-bound flotilla hundreds of miles from the Strip and detained 175 activists. Authorities discovered condoms and drugs on the vessels, and footage of the activists aboard Israeli ships shows them doing gymnastics and laughing.
Mamdani’s statement came hours after the Trump administration called the flotilla “pro-Hamas.” It called on U.S. allies to deny participating vessels access to ports and logistical support, and encouraged pursuing legal action against those involved. Hamas is a U.S.-designated terror organization.
Heath Howard, who is running for Congress in New Hampshire, said that a resident of his state, Ephemeral Roshdy, was “abducted” and called on state residents to call their representatives and the U.S. embassy in Israel to demand his release and that of “Palestinian political prisoners in Israel.”
