A Long Island woman whose son was among hundreds of international activists detained by Israeli forces aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla says she has not received any updates about his condition or when he might be released.
Helen Lein, of Bohemia, said she’s trying to remain hopeful about the fate of her 39-year-old son, Eric Lein, who was on one of 42 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza when they began getting intercepted Wednesday.
“I try to be very positive, but I am concerned,” she told News 12 Long Island from her Suffolk County home.
Eric Lein was among more than 460 activists from nearly 50 countries participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a peaceful humanitarian mission attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
In a prerecorded video shared on Instagram by his longtime friend Joseph Fontana, Lein says from the Spanish vessel Jeannot III that he has likely been detained.
“If you’re watching this video, I’ve been kidnapped by the IOF and taken to Israel against my will,” he says.
“Please tell my government to end its complicity with Israel and bring me home safely to the people I love. End the Holocaust, stop the genocide, and free Palestine,” he adds.
On Friday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said all participants in what it called the “Hamas-Sumud provocation” were safe and in good health. The U.S. State Department also confirmed it was in contact with Israeli authorities and working to secure the safety of American citizens.
But Helen Lein said she’s heard nothing directly about her son or when they might be reunited.
“He’s there because he cares,” she said. “They’re not there out of hate. They’re there out of love. At least if I could just give him a hug and tell him how proud I am of him, I’d like to do that.”
Eric is one of 40 Americans participating in the effort. As of Saturday evening, 134 people had been freed, while 328 were still being “held captive,” according to the GSF. Among them are Swedish climate and political activist Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
Israel’s actions are a “brazen assault against solidarity activists carrying out an entirely peaceful humanitarian mission,” the head of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said in a statement. “This interception is not just about blocking aid; it is a calculated act of intimidation intended to punish and silence critics of Israel’s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza.”
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