Israeli forces release Missouri man detained trying to bring aid into Gaza
A Missouri activist captured by the Israeli Navy has been freed after attempting to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza.
77-year-old Robert Suberi, a pro-Palestenian activist from St. Louis and former restaurant owner, boarded the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship Handala along with 20 others on Sunday, July 20 off the coast of Gallipoli, Italy, setting sail for the West Bank of Gaza, according to KCUR.
On Saturday, July 26, the Israeli Navy intercepted the humanitarian aid ship, arresting all activists on board.
However, approximately 24 hours after they were detained, Robert Suberi and fellow Palestinian-American activist and human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf were released into the Israel-occupied West Bank, where they remain, due to their dual citizenship in both the United States and Israel.
Back home, Suberi’s wife Barbara Suberi watched her husband’s arrest live on a stream from the ship.
“You know, you watched it live and he’s front and center, right there in the corner,” Barbara Suberi told The Star. “And you do a little intake of breath, but it’s like, this is what it is and they’re ready for it.”
“They were trained for the possibility of boarding and arrest, we pretty much knew it was inevitable. He knew, I knew. The whole crew knew what would happen, how to respond to it and how not to respond to it.”
But the risk of being detained did not stop Robert Suberi, Arraf, or the 18 others on board the Handala from sailing to provide aid, she said, all hoping to amplify the voices of Palestinians.
They also weren’t deterred by the risk made even more apparent after the murder of Palestinian activist Odeh Hathalin, who was shot by an Israeli settler on July 28 in the West Bank. Hathalin, who worked as a consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” was one of Robert Suberi’s closest friends.
“If they were able to get through, the end goal was to deliver some aid, some hope, to the people of Gaza,” said Barbara Suberi. “Even though it was just a drop in the ocean, it was some type of solidarity with the Gaza people, letting them know that at least a part of the world was aware of what was going on and wanted to help.”
Meet Robert Suberi
Robert Suberi, according to his Freedom Flotilla biography, is a first generation Jewish American. Born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Palestine, he identifies as a Palestinian Jew due to his parents immigration prior to the Nakba.
The Nakba, an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe”, refers to the widespread displacement and loss of Palestinians between 1947 and 1949, during the events leading up to and following the founding of the State of Israel.
According to Robert Suberi’s biography, he was raised in a Jewish community, attending Zionist summer camps during his youth. After visiting family in Israel since 1969, he decided to visit the West Bank of Palestine in 2019.
After seeing how the people of Palestine were being treated, Robert Suberi said he decided to provide aid and sail on the Handala beginning in 2023.
As he stated in his biography, “I haven’t felt as comfortable with a decision in life as at this moment. Working with fellow activists that I both love and admire to illuminate the injustice of our time is more than I expected in this lifetime.”
Now, while Robert Suberi remains in the West Bank, his wife Barbara Suberi is left to reflect on his his recent detainment, knowing full well the risks her husband is taking.
“You know, there’s always the concern. But I was all set for it,” said Barbara Suberi. “He was fortunate because he’s dual citizen, and I was fine with it.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 2:37 PM.
