Israeli Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists by Two Days

An Israeli court in Ashkelon extended the detention of two foreign activists, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, by two days on Sunday, following their interception from a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters near Crete. The pair appeared before the court amid allegations of abuse during their seizure by Israeli forces, with no formal charges filed against them.

Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian origin living in Barcelona, and Thiago Ávila, a 38-year-old Brazilian socio-environmentalist, were among 175 activists detained when Israeli forces intercepted at least 22 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday.

The flotilla, comprising about 58 vessels carrying crew from 70 countries, set sail from France, Spain, and Italy on April 12 to deliver aid and challenge Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza. The interception occurred more than 620 miles from Gaza, in a maritime area under Greek responsibility for search and rescue operations, drawing criticism toward Greek authorities.

More than 100 pro-Palestinian activists from the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete, while Abu Keshek and Ávila were transferred to Israel for questioning and held at Shikma prison in Ashkelon.

Adalah lawyers met the detainees at Shikma prison on Saturday. Ávila reported being dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice during the vessel seizure, and has been kept in isolation and blindfolded since arriving in Israel.

Abu Keshek stated he was hand-tied, blindfolded, and forced to lie face down on the floor from the moment of his seizure until reaching Israel, resulting in bruising to his face and hands.

Both activists are continuing a hunger strike in protest of their detention and ill-treatment, though they have continued to drink water. Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension, but the court approved two days, with Abu Keshek's next hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The Spanish consul in Tel Aviv attended Abu Keshek’s court hearing on Sunday.

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. 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.