Israel Intercepts Gaza-Bound Flotilla and Deports Two Organizers After Court Rejects Appeal

Israel deported Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila on Sunday, May 10, 2026. The two activists had been detained for slightly over a week after Israeli forces intercepted their vessels. An Israeli court had rejected an appeal contesting their detention three days earlier on Wednesday.

The activists were members of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s steering committee. Its mission is to break Israel’s naval blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. They were intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off the coast of Greece on April 30, 2026.

The incident occurred overnight from Wednesday to Thursday hundreds of miles from Gaza and Israel. The pair were brought to Israel for questioning while other flotilla participants were taken to the Greek island of Crete and released. In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy.

Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those onboard. Israeli officials said they needed to take early action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters because of the high number of boats involved.

At the time of arrest, Israeli authorities said Saif Abukeshek was suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization and Thiago Ávila was suspected of illegal activity.

No formal charges against the two activists have been publicized.

“From their abduction in international waters to their unlawful detention in total isolation and the ill-treatment they were subjected to, the Israeli authorities' actions were a punitive attack on a purely civilian mission." — Adalah, the rights group that represented the pair. Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement condemning "the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel." Their detention sparked solidarity protests in several countries. The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group involving about 50 vessels and around 500 activists. That earlier flotilla included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela. Israel arrested, detained and later deported participants from the previous flotilla attempt, including Thiago Ávila. Thiago Ávila claimed Israeli authorities abused him while in detention during the previous flotilla attempt. Israeli authorities denied the abuse accusations from the previous flotilla. In Gaza, an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in the Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis late Sunday morning on May 10, 2026, killing at least two people. One of those killed was Wessam Abdel-Hadi, head of the police investigation department in Khan Younis and a Hamas police officer. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the strike. The fatalities were the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since an October fragile ceasefire deal. Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing at least 850 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. During their week-long detention in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, the two men launched a hunger strike. Both denied any links with Hamas. Spanish diplomats said Israel provided "no evidence" linking its citizen Abu Keshek to Hamas. Saif Abu Keshek told supporters upon arrival in Barcelona on Sunday that "Today I'm arriving in Barcelona to prepare my suitcase, and in a few days I will again join my colleagues in Turkey, because our journey has only just got started." Thiago Ávila's wife Lara Souza said she was "very relieved" and "can't wait" to see her husband again.”