In a development that has reignited international debate over Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the treatment of humanitarian aid activists, an Israeli court ruled Sunday to extend by two days the pre-questioning detention of two foreign activists intercepted while sailing toward the blockaded Palestinian enclave. The two men — Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila — are part of a larger humanitarian flotilla organized to break Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza and deliver urgently needed supplies to the war-ravaged territory, which has faced catastrophic shortages of food, medicine, and other critical goods during the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The flotilla, comprising more than 50 vessels that departed from ports in France, Spain, and Italy, was intercepted by Israeli military forces in international waters off the coast of Greece in the early hours of Thursday. Following the interception, Israel removed roughly 175 activists from the flotilla, detaining only Abu Keshek and Avila for further questioning and transferring them to Israeli territory.
Footage captured by Agence France-Presse (AFP) showed the pair being escorted into the courtroom in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon: Avila was led into the building with his hands secured behind his back, while Abu Keshek’s ankles were bound in shackles. Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator for Adalah — the Israeli rights group representing the two activists — confirmed to AFP that the court granted the state’s request for a 48-hour detention extension.
Israeli prosecutors presented a list of serious allegations against the two men, including charges of “assisting the enemy during wartime” and “membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization.” Israel’s foreign ministry further claims the activists are affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group the United States has accused of operating clandestinely on behalf of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group governing Gaza. The ministry identified Abu Keshek as a leading PCPA member and Avila as a linked individual suspected of unspecified illegal activity.
Adalah’s legal team has pushed back forcefully against the proceedings, first challenging the Israeli court’s jurisdiction over the pair. The lawyers argue the detention amounts to an “unlawful abduction” that took place outside Israeli territorial waters, making any legal process against the men illegitimate. Beyond the jurisdiction dispute, the defense has detailed grave allegations of abuse inflicted on the two activists following their capture. In testimony presented to the court, Avila and Abu Keshek described being subjected to what they called “severe physical abuse amounting to torture” during their transit to Israel. Adalah lawyers said Avila specifically recounted being dragged face-down across the deck of a vessel after interception, beaten so severely that he lost consciousness twice. Abu Keshek, the group added, was kept hand-tied and blindfolded, forced to lie face-down on the floor continuously from the moment of his capture until he arrived in Israel.
Israeli officials have categorically denied all allegations of abuse. “Contrary to the false and baseless claims prepared in advance, at no point were Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila subjected to torture,” foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told AFP. Marmorstein acknowledged that Israeli personnel used force against the pair, but framed the action as a response to resistance: “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.” As of Sunday, no formal charges have been filed against either activist, who are currently being held at Ashkelon’s Shikma Prison.
Defense lawyers reiterated after Sunday’s hearing that the two men were part of a purely humanitarian mission, with no ties to any militant group. “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,” Hadeel Abu Salih, one of the Adalah lawyers representing the pair, told reporters. “We deny all the accusations that were presented… and demand these two men be released immediately.”
The Spanish government has already joined the call for Abu Keshek’s release, issuing a formal statement to AFP demanding his “immediate release” and confirming that a Spanish consul attended Sunday’s court hearing to accompany the activist. This is not the first high-profile interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the organization behind the initiative: the group’s first voyage to Gaza last year also drew international headlines after it was intercepted by Israeli forces, with dozens of activists — including prominent climate campaigner Greta Thunberg — arrested and expelled. Avila was one of the lead organizers of that 2023 voyage.
Israel has maintained strict land, air, and sea control over all entry points to Gaza since imposing its blockade on the territory in 2007. During the 11-month Gaza war, the enclave’s 2.2 million residents have faced extreme shortages of life-saving aid, with Israel repeatedly halting aid convoys entirely amid military operations, drawing widespread condemnation from international humanitarian groups.