Camille Naredo

This photograph shows vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, outside the town of Ierapetra in the island of Crete, Greece, on May 1, 2026. Costas Metaxakis, AFP

This photograph shows vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, outside the town of Ierapetra in the island of Crete, Greece, on May 1, 2026. (Photo by Costas METAXAKIS / AFP)

Article (news)

Global Sumud Flotilla

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777813262449AFP__20260501__A9KV666__v1__MidRes__GreeceIsraelPalestinianFlotilla.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This photograph shows vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, outside the town of Ierapetra in the island of Crete, Greece, on May 1, 2026. Costas Metaxakis, AFP" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This photograph shows vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, outside the town of Ierapetra in the island of Crete, Greece, on May 1, 2026. <em>Costas Metaxakis, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>ASHKELON, Israel (UPDATED) -- An Israeli court on Sunday extended for two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.</p><p>The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy to break Israel&#x27;s blockade of Gaza and bring supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.</p><p>They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed some 175 activists -- two of whom were taken to Israel for questioning.</p><p>Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday.</p><p>AFP footage showed the pair being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila walking with his hands behind his back and Abu Keshek&#x27;s feet in shackles.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/5/2/gaza-activists-disperse-after-flotilla-halted-by-israel-off-crete-1004">READ: Gaza activists disperse after flotilla halted by Israel off Crete</a></div><p>&quot;The court extended their detention by two days,&quot; Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP.</p><p>Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including &quot;assisting the enemy during wartime&quot; and &quot;membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation&quot;.</p><p>But Adalah&#x27;s lawyers challenged the state&#x27;s jurisdiction, arguing against the &quot;unlawful abduction&quot; of the two activists in international waters.</p><p>Its lawyers told the court Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to &quot;severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea&quot;.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Call for swift release -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TZd3FYwUxNg?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Israel&#x27;s foreign ministry rejected claims that the men were subjected to physical violence.</p><p>&quot;Contrary to the false and baseless claims prepared in advance, at no point were Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila subjected to torture,&quot; ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told AFP.</p><p>&quot;Following violent physical obstruction by Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila against Israeli staff members, staff were compelled to act in order to stop these actions. All measures taken were in accordance with the law,&quot; he said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/13/gaza-aid-flotilla-departs-barcelona-port-aiming-to-break-israeli-blockade-0029">READ: Gaza aid flotilla departs Barcelona port aiming to break Israeli blockade</a></div><p>No formal charges were filed against the two, Adalah said.</p><p>&quot;We argued that ... they were part of a humanitarian mission that aimed to provide humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, and not to any other organisation, whether terrorist or not,&quot; lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih told journalists after the court hearing.</p><p>&quot;We deny all the accusations that were presented... and demand these two men be released immediately,&quot; she said.</p><p>Spain&#x27;s government has called for Abu Keshek&#x27;s &quot;immediate release&quot;, the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, indicating the Spanish consul had accompanied Abu Keshek to the hearing.</p><p>Adalah&#x27;s lawyers had met the activists at Ashkelon&#x27;s Shikma Prison on Saturday.</p><p>They said Avila recounted being &quot;subjected to extreme brutality&quot; by Israeli forces when the vessels were seized, saying he was &quot;dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice&quot;.</p><p>Abu Keshek was also &quot;hand-tied and blindfolded ... and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure&quot; until reaching Israel, it said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Accused of Hamas ties -</strong></div><p>Israel&#x27;s foreign ministry said the pair were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) -- a group accused by Washington of &quot;clandestinely acting on behalf of&quot; Palestinian militant group Hamas.</p><p>It said Abu Keshek was a leading PCPA member, and that Avila was also linked to the group and &quot;suspected of illegal activity&quot;.</p><p>The Global Sumud Flotilla&#x27;s first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza last year drew worldwide attention, before being intercepted by Israeli forces off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza.</p><p>Avila was one of the organisers of that flotilla, which was also intercepted by Israeli forces, with crew members -- including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg -- arrested and expelled.</p><p>Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.</p><p>Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.</p>

<p>An Israeli court Sunday extended by two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.</p>

An Israeli court Sunday extended by two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.

Israel court extends detention of two Gaza flotilla activists

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

World

Israel court extends detention of two Gaza flotilla activists

Nir Kafri with Jay Deshmukh in Jerusalem,

Agence France-Presse

Published May 03, 2026 09:52 PM PHT

|

Updated May 04, 2026 12:19 AM PHT

Read More:

Ashkelon

Israel

Gaza

flotilla

Saif Abu Keshek

Thiago Avila

Palestine

Hamas

Global Sumud Flotilla

humanitarian aid

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.