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Israel court extends detention of two Gaza flotilla activists amid ...
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. 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. The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and bring supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory. 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. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday. AFP footage showed the pair being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila walking with his hands behind his back and Abu Keshek's feet in shackles. "The court extended their detention by two days," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP. Read moreTwo foreign activists seized from Gaza aid flotilla appear before Israeli court Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation". But Adalah's lawyers challenged the state's jurisdiction, arguing against the "unlawful abduction" of the two activists in international waters. Its lawyers told the court Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to "severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea". Call for swift release Israeli authorities are holding two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla that was interecepted by Israeli forces off the coast of Greece this week © Ilia Yefimovich, AFP Israel's foreign ministry rejected claims that the men were subjected to physical violence. "Contrary to the false and baseless claims prepared in advance, at no point were Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila subjected to torture," ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told AFP. "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 accor...
Two foreign activists seized from Gaza aid flotilla appear ... - France 24
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 interrogation, a rights group representing them said. The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing humanitarian supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory. 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. Read more'Collective punishment': MSF says Israel is weaponising water access in Gaza Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday. AFP footage showed the two being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila's hands cuffed behind his back and Abu Keshek's feet shackled. "The court extended their detention by two days," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP. Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation". But Adalah's lawyers challenged the state's jurisdiction, arguing against the "unlawful abduction" of the two activists in international waters. Its lawyers told the court Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to "severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea". Screenshot of a post by the Adalah Center for Human Rights on X on May 2, 2026. © Screenshot, X No formal charges were filed against the two, it said. "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," lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih told journalists after the hearing. "We deny all the accusations that were presented ... and demand these two men be released immediately," she said. Spain's government called for Abu Keshek's "immediate release", the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, indicating the Spanish consul had accompanied Abu Keshek to the hearing. Adalah's lawyers had met the two men at Ashkelon's Shikma Prison on Saturday. They said Avila recounted being "subjected to extreme brutality" by Israeli forces...
Gaza aid flotilla activists detained by Israel disembark in Crete
ATHENS - Dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Crete disembarked on May 1 in the Greek island, an AFP journalist saw ...
Activists on Gaza aid flotilla detained by Israel disembark in Crete
Dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Crete disembarked on Friday in the Greek island, an AFP journalist saw.
