Israel court extends detention of two Gaza flotilla activists by two days

ASHKELON, Israel – An Israeli court on May 3 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.

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 supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.

They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on April 30, with Israel saying it 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 southern city Ashkelon on May 3.

AFP footage showed the two being escorted into the courtroom, with Mr Avila’s hands cuffed behind his back and Mr Abu Keshek’s feet shackled.

“The court extended their detention by two days,” Ms 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 Mr Avila and Mr Abu Keshek had testified to “severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea”.

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 Mr Abu Keshek’s “immediate release”, the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, indicating the Spanish consul had accompanied Mr Abu Keshek to the hearing.

Adalah’s lawyers had met the two men at Ashkelon’s Shikma Prison on May 2.

They said Mr Avila recounted being “subjected to extreme brutality” by Israeli forces when the vessels were seized, saying he was “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice”.

Mr Abu Keshek was “hand-tied and blindfolded... and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure” until reaching Israel, the group said.

Accused of Hamas ties

Israel’s foreign ministry said the pair were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) – a group accused by Washington of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” Palestinian militant group Hamas.

It added that Mr Abu Keshek was a leading PCPA member, and that Mr Avila was also linked to the group and “suspected of illegal activity”.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza in the summer and autumn of 2025 drew worldwide attention, before Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza.

Mr 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.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely. AFP