The Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court on Sunday extended by two days the detention of two foreign activists who were arrested after the Israeli Navy intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters last week.
Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, will remain in detention until Tuesday after the state requested a four-day extension for further questioning.
The two were among the activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona on April 12 in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the Strip. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels late Wednesday near Greece.
Most of the activists aboard the flotilla were transferred to the Greek island of Crete, while Abu Keshek and Ávila were brought to Israel for questioning. The Foreign Ministry has said that Abu Keshek is suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization and that Ávila is suspected of illegal activity. Israel has described the flotilla as a “provocation” and said it would not allow the breach of what it called the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.
During Sunday’s hearing, Israeli authorities sought to extend the pair’s detention on suspicion of offenses including assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organization, according to Adalah, which is assisting in their defense.
Attorneys argue Israel lacked jurisdiction, deny allegations
Adalah attorneys Hadeel Abu Salih and Lubna Tuma argued that Israel lacked jurisdiction over the case, saying the activists were foreign nationals seized in international waters and that the suspected offenses could not be applied extraterritorially to their actions.
Abu Salih told Reuters after the hearing that both men denied the allegations, and that the flotilla’s purpose was to bring humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza rather than to any militant group.
The defense also argued that the investigation was selective, noting that most of the approximately 170 other activists detained by Israeli forces were not taken for questioning in Israel.
Judge Amit Yariv wrote that the material before him, including a classified report, established reasonable suspicion at this stage and indicated a level of danger that justified continued detention. Yariv also found that further investigative steps required keeping the suspects in custody, and that the risk could not be addressed through less restrictive means.
Adalah said following the hearing that the use of severe security-related suspicions against the two men was retaliatory, and demanded their immediate release.
The organization also said the two activists had testified that they were beaten, isolated, blindfolded, and held in harsh conditions while being brought to Israel. Abu Salih told Reuters that the two were subjected to violence en route and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.
Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling the detention illegal, while Spain has also rejected Israel’s allegations against Abu Keshek.
The case comes after a previous Global Sumud Flotilla mission last year drew international attention when Israel intercepted dozens of boats attempting to reach Gaza. In October 2025, Israeli forces stopped around 40 vessels carrying more than 400 foreign activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who were later detained and deported.
Israel has faced repeated flotilla attempts since the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, in which Israeli commandos boarding a Gaza-bound ship were met with violence, and 10 activists were killed. Since then, Israel has generally moved to intercept flotillas before they reach Gaza, while insisting that aid can be transferred through approved channels and that attempts to breach the blockade are security threats rather than humanitarian operations.
The latest flotilla again exposed the same legal and diplomatic fault line: Israel says the blockade is lawful and necessary to prevent Hamas from exploiting maritime access to Gaza; flotilla organizers and their legal advocates say Israel is unlawfully extending its control into international waters and criminalizing humanitarian activism.
For now, the dispute remains at the pre-indictment stage. Abu Keshek and Ávila are expected to remain at the Shikma detention facility in Ashkelon until at least Tuesday, while the investigation continues.
Miriam Sela-Eitam and Reuters contributed to this report.