Israel Deports Gaza Flotilla Activists Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila

Israel deported two Gaza flotilla activists, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, after the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) was intercepted last week in international waters near Crete.

The BBC said the GSF was made up of 22 boats and about 175 activists, and that all the other activists were taken to Crete and freed.

Al Jazeera

During their week-long detention in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, Adalah said their detention was unlawful, while Israel’s foreign ministry said authorities had completed their investigation and confirmed the two activists had been deported.

Israel’s foreign ministry said, "Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza," and the activists’ rights team said the detention was a "sham proceeding with no legal basis" intended to punish them for challenging the blockade.

The incident occurred hundreds of nautical miles from Gaza, and the two activists were taken to Israel after the flotilla was intercepted near Crete, with their detention extended for a further six days on Tuesday and an appeal rejected the following day.

Adalah attorney Hadeel Abu Salih told the BBC that the activists’ detention was "a sham proceeding with no legal basis, intended to punish them for attempting to challenge Israel's illegal blockade on Gaza," and she said their transfer to Israeli custody was a "clear violation of international law".

The BBC reported that Adalah claimed the two men were subjected to "psychological abuse," including prolonged interrogations, constant bright lighting in their cells, complete isolation, and transfers while blindfolded, even during medical examinations.

Al Jazeera

In a separate account, Democracy Now! quoted Saif Abukeshek saying, "We were hearing, every day, the screams of other Palestinians who were being tortured inside this investigation center."

The Jerusalem Post reported that Ávila alleged he was tortured and witnessed abuses of Palestinian prisoners during 10 days in custody, while Israel dismissed claims by Adalah and said all measures taken were in accordance with the law.

Israel’s foreign ministry denied abuse claims and, in a post on X, called the two activists "professional provocateurs" while also saying, "Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza."

The deportation and detention of the two activists unfolded as Israel’s war in Gaza continued, with the NBC News account adding that an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Younis late Sunday morning and killed at least two people.

“Israel deports two activists detained on board Gaza flotilla Two pro-Palestinian activists who were detained in Israel after sailing on a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza have been deported”

BBC

NBC News identified one of the dead as Col. Wessam Abdel-Hadi, who heads the police investigation department in Khan Younis, and said the Israeli military was reviewing the strike.

NBC News also said Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fired on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing at least 850 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and that four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

In the flotilla dispute, the BBC reported that GSF said, "We demand explanations from the European Union, and specifically, Greece, after days of silence and complicity," and called for immediate sanctions against Israel for the "constant violations of international law" and the human rights of the Palestinian people.

The BBC framed the flotilla’s aim as breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid, while the UN warning cited by the BBC said the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite the ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas six months ago.