Ikeda released from Israeli custody and back on Orcas
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Jasmine Ikeda, along with 20 other Americans, was released from Israeli custody on Oct. 7. She was deported to Jordan and returned home to the United States a few days later. Ikeda was welcomed off the ferry to Orcas Island on Oct. 13 by a crowd of cheering, teary supporters.
Ikeda was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Oct 1. The flotilla was a coalition of boats attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Coordinated by activists from over 40 countries, its goal was to break what organizers called Israel’s illegal blockade, create a humanitarian corridor and deliver aid directly to Gaza’s shores.
Ikeda, along with 460 other members of the fotilla, was held in the Ketziot Detention Center, 30 km from the Egyptian border.
“We’ve watched for two years as the city of Gaza has been leveled by Israeli bombs, with all the survivors who have been able to now return left without homes,” said Ikeda’s close friend Malea Kirkpatrick. “The genocide is not over just because the bombs have stopped dropping so our momentum shouldn’t falter either. Palestine is not free until the Israeli occupation ends. Continue to boycott, divest, call your reps, keep marching, and keep the pressure on your government officials and the Israeli government.”
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