Israel Is Refusing To Release These Two Global Sumud Flotilla Activists It Abducted In International Waters
On Tuesday, May 5, an Israeli court extended Abu Keshek and Ávila’s detention again till May 10.
Israel has refused to release two Global Sumud Flotilla activists, Spanish-Swedish activist of Palestinian descent Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, of the more than 180 activists it abducted after it illegally intercepted the flotilla in international waters.
The Global Sumud Flotilla formed in July 2025, when several activist groups merged into a single coordinated mission in an effort to try to break Israel’s siege on Gaza, which has been in place since 2007.
In September 2025, it set sail for the first time from Barcelona, Spain, with more than 40 boats and about 462 people, but Israel intercepted several flotilla boats about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast and detained and deported all 462 activists.
On April 12, nearly 1,000 activists from around the world set sail again from Barcelona on vessels carrying aid and medical supplies to Gaza.
In the early hours of April 30, the Israeli military intercepted 22 of 58 Global Sumud Flotilla boats in international waters, boarding the vessels near the Greek island of Crete about 600 nautical miles from Gaza’s coast.
They detained about 180 activists, transferring them to Israel, according to Israel’s foreign affairs ministry.
On Sunday, May 3, Israel released all the activists except Abu Keshek and Ávila.
An Israeli court extended Abu Keshek and Ávila’s detention for two more days until May 5.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity”, according to the BBC.
Abu Keshek had been a lead organizer in the Global March to Gaza and chairs the Global Coalition Against Occupation of Palestine, an organization seeking Palestinian rights.
Ávila had been part of the first Global Sumud flotilla mission onboard the Maddleen, which also had been intercepted by Israeli forces, who had abducted him and put him in solitary confinement for days.
Both activists told human rights organizations who visited them earlier on Saturday, May 2, that they faced mistreatment from Israeli soldiers during their abduction, according to Al Jazeera.
Abu Keshek said he had bruising to his face and hands after being “hand-tied and blindfolded”, and Ávila said he was “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice,” according to Al Jazeera.
“The Global Sumud Flotilla reiterates that the forced transfer of civilians from international and European waters into custody, combined with credible allegations of torture and the absence of due process, constitutes a serious violation of international law and must be met with accountability,” the flotilla said in a statement.
On Tuesday, May 5, an Israeli court extended Abu Keshek and Ávila’s detention again till May 10.
Later that day, Ávila’s mother Teresa Regina de Ávila e Silva died in Brazil after years of fighting illness, while Thiago was in prison.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
