Former Barrington High student detained as part of flotilla sailing to Gaza

A former Barrington resident wants to rejoin a group sailing to bring aid to Gaza after their flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces and handed over to Greek authorities on Crete.

Carleigh Wamberg, a 37-year-old Barrington High School graduate now living in Guatemala, sailed as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which departed from Augusta, Italy, on April 26. Organizers have called it “the largest coordinated civilian maritime mobilization of the mission to date.”

Three days into the voyage, the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces near Crete, about 660 miles from Israel — far earlier than the group expected. They hadn’t anticipated any intervention until within about 50 miles of Gaza's coast.

“Everyone was completely shocked,” Wamberg said.

Israeli forces in a speedboat overtook the vessel, flashing bright lights and screaming at the group to move to the bow, she said.

“They're pointing their guns at our heads. They board the boat with the lasers all on us, and they're in SWAT gear, faces covered,” Wamberg recounted.

Members of the flotilla were zip-tied and later strip searched, she said.

Wamberg said detainees were given wet mats to sleep on in shipping containers and then forced onto the deck of their captor’s ship without shade during the day.

“We're all out there getting sunburned, dehydrated and trying to put the mats on our heads to shelter us from the sun,” she said.

Wamberg claims detainees were beaten when they demanded proof of life of their crew as well as medicine, clothing and other supplies.

The group landed on Crete after being held for about two days. Wamberg said Greek authorities also mistreated them, delaying processing and detouring their bus so that they’d be forced to walk to the airport.

No consular representative was at the airport when they arrived. After reaching an U.S. embassy worker by phone, Wamberg said she asked why there was no one there. She said she was told, “It’s not our job.”

The state department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Nearly 60 detainees were flown to Istanbul on a Turkish-arranged flight, where they were greeted by the city's mayor, offered medical evaluations and asked to provide testimony for a potential International Criminal Court case.

Wamberg’s father flew in from the U.S., learning of her whereabouts only through a text she managed to send from the Turkish airport to a friend.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Consulate in Chicago disputed Wamberg's account, saying the flotilla “attempted to breach Israel's lawful naval blockade on Gaza as part of a coordinated provocation led by Hamas and professional activists.”

“It’s purpose was not humanitarian, but to generate media attention, disrupt the implementation of President Trump’s peace plan, and divert focus from Hamas’ continued refusal to disarm,” the spokesperson said.

Of the 175 participants, Israel said 173 were safely transferred to Greece. Two suspected of links to a Hamas-affiliated organization were brought to Israel for questioning, where “they also received consular access,” Israeli officials said.

Israel characterized the mission as more of a PR stunt than a humanitarian effort, saying “substantial humanitarian aid is already entering Gaza through established mechanisms” and the flotilla sought to undermine those efforts.

Asked whether the flotilla has ties to Hamas, Wamberg said, “There is absolutely no basis for that.”

Wamberg, an artist, said she became involved in the Gaza mission after “waking up to what Palestinians were facing” from the Israeli military response to the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.

When asked about the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, Wamberg said, “I think Oct. 7 did not happen in a vacuum. I think it was a culmination of decades of oppression.”

She joined protests in Guatemala and began applying to go on the flotilla.

Wamberg remained in Turkey on Wednesday while looking to rejoin the flotilla.

“It was an incredible experience and still is,” she said. “I'm actively trying to set sail again.”