Israeli Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists by Two Days

Spain’s foreign ministry demanded the immediate release of Abu Keshek, stating he was held illegally by Israel. A source from the ministry reiterated that the Spanish government demands his immediate release. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated on Saturday that Spain will always protect its citizens, defend international law, and that the detention of Abu Keshek and Ávila is a new violation of international law.

Sánchez demanded the release of the Spanish citizen illegally kidnapped by the Netanyahu government. In a separate statement on Friday, Sánchez demanded the release of the Spanish citizen unlawfully detained by Netanyahu’s government. Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday condemning the abduction of their citizens in international waters by Israel and demanding their immediate return.

Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the interception an act of piracy. Israel’s foreign ministry accused Abu Keshek of being a leading member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) and alleged Ávila was linked to the PCPA and suspected of illegal activity. U.S.

Treasury has sanctioned the PCPA for acting on behalf of Hamas. Abu Keshek has organized Palestinian solidarity movements across Europe for more than 20 years, chairs the Global Coalition Against the Occupation in Palestine, serves on the General Secretariat of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, and sits on the board of the European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine.

He and his wife have three children aged one, four, and seven.

Ávila has dedicated himself to solidarity with Palestine for more than 20 years, was a Steering Committee member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and served as a coordinator on the Madleen mission intercepted in June 2025. He was put in solitary confinement in Ayalon Prison on June 11, 2025, and has a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s previous attempt to reach Gaza occurred in the summer and autumn of 2025, during which Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was arrested and expelled by Israeli forces.

Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, with the UN describing it as a direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. An alternative account places the blockade's start in 2005. 8 million displaced and dependent on aid amid overwhelming humanitarian needs, as stated by UN assistant secretary general Khaled Khiari to the UN security council last week.

Israel’s war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, and has killed more than 72,500 Palestinians, according to aid agencies. Public health risks are mounting, with severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel.