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Spain demands release of Gaza flotilla activist taken to Israel after ...
The Gaza flotilla activist Spain is seeking to protect is one of two people still being held by Israel after other members of the Global Sumud Flotilla were transferred to Crete. The other detainee is Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila. RTVE reported on Saturday that both men had arrived in Israel, citing information from Israel’s foreign ministry.The case has moved beyond a consular dispute. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called on the EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel, while Spain’s foreign ministry is seeking access to Abukeshek and demanding his release.Madrid says the detention is illegalSpain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has demanded Abukeshek’s immediate release and said he should have been taken to Crete with the rest of the flotilla participants.Speaking on Catalunya Ràdio, Albares described the detention as illegal, saying it took place in international waters and outside Israeli jurisdiction. Spain has also summoned the Israeli embassy’s chargé d’affaires in Madrid to protest the arrests linked to the flotilla.The Spanish government says its consular services in Israel and Greece are working to protect Spanish citizens affected by the interception. Nearly 30 Spanish participants were among those taken to Crete, according to Spanish media reports citing the foreign ministry.Sánchez urges EU to suspend Israel agreementPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez had already condemned the interception of the flotilla on April 30, writing on X that Israel was “once again violating international law” by assaulting a civilian flotilla in waters “that do not belong to it”.He said the Spanish Government was doing everything necessary to protect and assist the detained Spanish nationals. However, he argued that this was not enough, calling on the EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel and demand that Benjamin Netanyahu comply with maritime law.The comments place the detention of Saif Abukeshek inside a wider diplomatic dispute. Spain is not only asking for consular access and the release of a Spanish citizen. It is also using the incident to increase pressure on Brussels over its relationship with Israel.A report by Anadolu also carried Sánchez’s X post and said he had urged EU-level action following the flotilla interception.What happened to the flotilla?The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona in April with the stated aim of taking humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenging Israel’s naval blockade.Israeli forces interce...
Spain's Sanchez demands Netanyahu free Spaniard seized on aid flotilla ...
NewsFeedSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused Israel of “abducting” foreign nationals on a Gaza aid flotilla and violating international law, after a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin was detained when Israeli forces intercepted the convoy in international waters.Published On 2 May 2026
Spain blasts Israels interception of Gaza-bound flotilla
The Spanish government issued a formal statement on Thursday expressing that it energetically condemns the interception of a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla containing Spanish citizens by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece.
Spain blasts Israel's interception of Gaza-bound flotilla
Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by the October 2023 Hamas cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's unrelenting ...
