Gaza flotilla activists from Spain and Brazil appear in Israeli court | Israel
Two foreign activists brought to Israel for questioning from the Gaza-bound flotilla have appeared in Israeli court, the human rights group defending them said.
The fleet, consisting of more than 50 ships, set out from France, Spain and Italy to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and carry supplies to the devastated Palestinian lands.
They were captured by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early Thursday, and Israel said it had removed 175 activists; two of them were taken to Israel for questioning.
Spanish citizen Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared in court in Ashkelon on Sunday.
“The state asked for the detentions to be extended by four days,” Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator for the rights group Adalah, told AFP.
On Saturday, Adalah said its lawyers met with two detained activists at Ashkelon’s Shikma prison.
Ávila told lawyers that he was “subjected to extreme brutality” when the ships were seized, adding that he was “dragged face down on the ground and twice beaten so severely that he fainted.”
He said he had been “kept in isolation and blindfolded” since arriving in Israel, according to Adalah.
The group said Abu Keshek was “hands and blindfolded … and forced to lie face down on the ground from the moment he was captured until he reached Israel.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said the two activists were linked to an organization subject to US Treasury sanctions.
This group – the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) – is accused by Washington of “acting covertly” on behalf of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israeli foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was a leading member of the PCPA and that Ávila was also affiliated with the organization and was “suspected of illegal activities.”
Spain condemned the detention of Abu Keshek and rejected Israeli accusations against him.
Organizers of the flotilla said the Israeli intervention took place 620 miles (1,000 km) from Gaza and that the flotilla’s equipment was shattered, leaving them facing “a calculated death trap at sea”.
Dozens of captured activists landed on the Greek island of Crete on Friday, according to an AFP journalist.
The Global Sumud Fleet’s first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza in the summer and autumn of 2025 attracted worldwide attention. Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coast of Egypt and Gaza in early October 2025. Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and deported by Israeli forces.
