Israel Extends Detention Of Spanish Activist Saif Abu Keshek And Brazilian Thiago Ávila

Israel extended the detention of two Gaza-bound flotilla activists by two days after an Israeli court hearing in Ashkelon, according to multiple reports.

“Two activists from a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla who were detained and abducted by Israeli authorities have appeared in court in Israel, an Israeli rights group representing them says”

Al Jazeera

The activists are Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Ávila, who were arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece.

Al Jazeera

Reuters reported that an Israeli court spokesperson confirmed their remand had been extended until May 5, while the Jerusalem Post said the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court extended detention “until Tuesday.”

The Daily Sabah account said the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated the activists were brought into the country for questioning, and that their remand was extended after a request for a four-day extension by Israeli authorities.

In parallel, Democracy Now! reported that the court extended the imprisonment of Abu Keshek and Ávila by two days, while also stating authorities had not brought any charges.

The Guardian reported that Spain’s foreign ministry demanded the immediate release of Abu Keshek, describing him as “held illegally” by Israel, and said his next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.

Across the coverage, the activists were held at Shikma detention facility in Ashkelon while the investigation continued, with the Jerusalem Post saying they were expected to remain there until at least Tuesday.

The court extensions followed the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Greece, with multiple outlets describing how Israeli forces removed activists from the ships and took most of them to Crete while bringing Abu Keshek and Ávila to Israel.

Daily Sabah said the activists were detained late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while “more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists” were taken to the Greek island of Crete, and it described the remand extension until May 5.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Jerusalem Post said Israeli forces intercepted the vessels late Wednesday near Greece, and that most activists were transferred to Crete while Abu Keshek and Ávila were brought to Israel for questioning.

The Guardian reported that Israel intercepted “at least 22 boats” from a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s maritime blockade and deliver aid, and that Israel later said it had removed 175 activists from a flotilla made up of about 58 vessels carrying crew members from 70 countries.

TRT World said Israeli forces halted the boats overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, detaining activists and seizing vessels in international waters, and it quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry figures that 175 activists were detained while organizers said 211 activists had been “kidnapped.”

The allegations against the two men were described in detail across the reports, including accusations of 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.

The Jerusalem Post said Israeli authorities sought to extend detention on suspicion of offenses including “assisting the enemy during wartime,” and it cited Adalah’s defense that Israel lacked jurisdiction over foreign nationals seized in international waters.

Beyond the legal arguments, rights groups and the activists’ lawyers described alleged mistreatment during the abduction and detention process.

Democracy Now! reported that Ávila told his lawyers he had been subjected to extreme brutality after his abduction, including being “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice,” and it said the beating left visible bruises on his face.

Democracy Now! also reported that both Ávila and Keshek began a hunger strike, and it quoted their lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih saying: “It’s important in the beginning to note that both of them were subjected to torture and violence since the moment they were abducted by the Israeli navy.”

Al Jazeera likewise reported that Adalah lawyers visited the activists at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon and gave testimony of “severe physical abuse amounting to torture,” describing “physical violence and being held for prolonged periods in stress positions.”

Al Jazeera also quoted the activists’ accounts, saying Ávila reported being “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice,” and it said Abu Keshek reported being “kept hand-tied and blindfolded, and being forced to lie face-down on the floor.”

The Jerusalem Post reported that Abu Salih told Reuters after the hearing that the two were subjected to violence en route and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.

The Guardian reported that both activists were continuing their hunger strike in protest of “their unlawful detention and ill-treatment,” and it described the consular visit to Abu Keshek by Spain’s consul in Tel Aviv.

The court proceedings and detention extensions triggered diplomatic and legal disputes, with Spain and Brazil issuing statements condemning the detention and Adalah challenging Israel’s jurisdiction.

Daily Sabah said the governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling their detention illegal, and it reported that Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension on suspicion of offenses including assisting the enemy during wartime and contact with a foreign agent.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Guardian reported that a source from Spain’s foreign ministry told it that the Spanish consul in Tel Aviv attended Abu Keshek’s court hearing and that he was being “held illegally,” adding that “The Spanish government demands his immediate release.”

The Guardian also quoted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, saying: “The first is that Spain will always protect its citizens; the second, that we will always defend International Law and this is a new violation of International Law; and the third, that we want the freedom of the Spanish citizen who has been illegally kidnapped by the Israeli government.”

Al Jazeera reported that Spain condemned the “kidnapping” of Abu Keshek and rejected the accusations against him, and it quoted Adalah’s Miriam Azem saying: “This whole process is unlawful from the get-go: The fact that they were kidnapped in international waters near Greece and then brought in for questioning. … Their detention [and] interrogation is completely unlawful, and they must be immediately released,” while also describing the proceedings as “a retaliatory measure against humanitarian activist leaders.”

The Jerusalem Post described Adalah attorneys Hadeel Abu Salih and Lubna Tuma arguing 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.

In the same hearing, the Jerusalem Post said Judge Amit Yariv wrote that the material before him, including a classified report, established “reasonable suspicion” and indicated a level of danger that justified continued detention.

The sources describe the immediate next steps as further hearings and continued detention while investigations proceed, with the activists remaining in custody at Shikma in Ashkelon.

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AsatuNews.co.id

The Jerusalem Post said Abu Keshek and Ávila were expected to remain at the Shikma detention facility in Ashkelon until at least Tuesday, while TRT World said the court extended detention by two days and that Israeli authorities had asked to extend detention by four days.

Daily Sabah

The Guardian reported that the activists’ next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday and that the Spanish government demanded immediate release, while it also said no formal charges had been filed.

Al Jazeera reported that the court extended detention by two days for further interrogation and that no charges had been filed, while it also described the activists’ hunger strike and their continued drinking of water.

Daily Sabah said the remand had been extended until May 5, and it described the broader context of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007 and a two-year offensive on Gaza that began in October 2023.

TRT World similarly said Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 and that since October 2023 Israel’s Gaza genocide has killed more than 72,000 people and wounded over 172,000, while causing widespread destruction across the enclave.

In addition to the legal timeline, some outlets described political pressure in Turkey, with Masrawy reporting that the Turkish Parliament urged Israel to immediately release detained activists and Turkish citizens and that a motion called the obstruction “piracy and a war crime.”