Two western Massachusetts brothers were released from Israeli custody Tuesday morning and sent to Jordan five days after Israel commandeered their flotillas headed to Gaza with humanitarian aid.
Torlief and Adnaan Stumo from Sheffield set sail from Barcelona along with more than 450 other activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla on Aug. 31. The 42 boats continued to travel toward Gaza until the Israeli navy began intercepting the ships in international waters on Oct 1.
The activists, including Tor, Adnaan and 19 other U.S citizens, were then brought ashore to the Ashdod port city and transferred to Ktzi’ot Prison in the Negev, where they were detained for five days.
Stumos’ mother Nadia Milleron, who ran for Congress as an independent last year, confirmed that her sons had been released on Oct. 7. She posted on her social media thanking those who called their government officials and spread the word about her son’s captivity.
“I’m very grateful for all of you,” she writes.
In an email, Milleron said that Israeli soldiers had beaten Tor while in detainment, prompting the U.S. Embassy to request medical treatment. He has nerve damage in his hands, which Milleron said is hopefully temporary.
The first cohort of 170 activists were released on Monday, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, while Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela was released the day after.
“That this mission has to exist, it’s a shame! It is a shame!” Thunberg told journalists and protesters on Oct. 6. “I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me, but that is not the story,” she added.
Activists held in captivity allege maltreatment while in Ktzi’ot. Italian journalists Saverio Tommasi and Lorenzo D’Agostino said that Israeli soldiers withheld medications, intimidated them with dogs and laser pointers and subjected them to acts of humiliation, Associated Press reports.
Israel denies reports of mistreatment of activists, calling them “brazen lies.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry has called the flotilla mission a “provocation” in statements on social media.
Adalah, a legal aid nonprofit representing the activists, report that their attorneys were continually denied access to detained flotilla passengers.
Tor, 26, was brought into Israeli custody on Oct. 2. According to the Global Sumud Flotilla website, Adnaan, 32, made it the closer to the Gaza shoreline before being intercepted on Oct. 3. Both men were among 40 flotilla members on a hunger strike while in prison.