Israeli Navy Detains Saif Abukeshek, Thiago Ávila, Sparking Spain-EU Dispute Over Gaza Flotilla

A Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters has triggered a diplomatic dispute involving Spain, Israel, and the European Union, after a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin was detained for questioning in Israel.

“Toggle Play Spain’s Sanchez demands Netanyahu free Spaniard seized on aid flotilla Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused Israel of “abducting” foreign nationals on a Gaza aid flotilla and violating international law, after a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin was detained when Israeli forces intercepted the convoy in international waters”

Al Jazeera

The New Arab reported that Spain’s foreign minister said an activist detained by Israel after an aid flotilla was intercepted in international waters was being held for questioning, naming Saif Abukeshek as a dual Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin.

Al Jazeera

The same report said Abukeshek was detained on Saturday along with Thiago Ávila of Brazil, and that a legal aid group said both men had launched a hunger strike.

The New Arab added that dozens of other activists were picked up by the Greek coast guard following the Israeli action and taken to the island of Crete.

In an interview with public radio, José Manuel Albares said, “This is a case of illegal detention in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities. I have made this clear to my Israeli counterpart.”

The New Arab also said an Israel-based legal advocacy group, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, visited the two men at a detention site in the Israeli port city of Ashkelon.

Adalah said both reported being on a hunger strike after being repeatedly beaten while in custody, and that it maintained the treatment “constitutes a grave violation of international law.”

The detention has been accompanied by claims of mistreatment and a hunger strike, with legal groups and activists describing conditions in custody.

The New Arab said Adalah reported that both Abukeshek and Ávila told it they were on a hunger strike after being repeatedly beaten while in custody, and it said “the treatment of the two activists, including the use of isolation, prolonged blindfolding and physical beatings, constitutes a grave violation of international law.”

Al Jazeera

It also reported that in an online post, Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed Abukeshek and Ávila were being questioned for possible links to Hamas, while saying the two men had been granted consular visits.

The New Arab further described how Gaza flotilla activists said Israel treated them “worse than animals,” linking the claim to the broader dispute over the interception.

Al Jazeera’s report similarly framed the incident around Spain’s accusation that Israel “abduct[ed]” foreign nationals on a Gaza aid flotilla and violated international law after a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin was detained when Israeli forces intercepted the convoy in international waters.

The Al Jazeera piece, published on 2 May 2026, reiterated that the Spanish citizen was detained during the interception and that Spain’s prime minister demanded action.

Egypt Today also described the Spanish prime minister’s position, saying Pedro Sánchez stated, “Israel has once again violated international law by attacking a civilian flotilla in waters that do not belong to it.”

Spain’s response has moved from demanding the release of detained nationals to calling for broader European action, according to the accounts in the sources.

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The New Arab reported that Abukeshek’s detention “has further strained relations between Israel and Spain,” noting that Spain had been an outspoken critic of the “genocidal war on Gaza” and had “formallyrecognized Palestinian statehoodin 2024.”

It said that on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took aim at his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is “wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes,” while speaking at a campaign event in southern Spain.

The New Arab quoted Sánchez saying, “Now that Netanyahu has taken foreign citizens, including a Spanish national, and brought them to Israel, I have a few things to say to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” and it reported that he added, “First, Spain will always protect its citizens. Second, we will always uphold international law — and this is yet another violation of it,” and “And third, we demand the release of the Spanish citizen who has been illegally detained by the Netanyahu government.”

Egypt Today likewise said Sánchez called on the European Union to “immediately suspend its partnership agreement with Israel,” describing the call as made “in a post on the ‘X’ platform” after an Israeli attack on the “Global Freedom Flotilla.”

Egypt Today quoted Sánchez saying, “Our government is doing everything necessary to protect and assist the detained Spaniards, but this is not enough,” and it added, “The European Union must now suspend the partnership agreement with Israel and demand that Netanyahu respect the Law of the Sea.”

The New Arab also said José Manuel Albares told public radio that he had made clear to his Israeli counterpart that the detention was illegal in international waters, reinforcing the Spanish government’s legal argument.

The dispute is also being framed through the legal structure of EU-Israel relations and through details about the flotilla operation described by flotilla officials.

Egypt Today said the EU-Israel Association Agreement was “signed in Brussels on November 20, 1995, and entered into force on June 1, 2000,” and it described the agreement as establishing “a gradual free-trade area between the EU and Israel” while promoting “economic, trade, technological, and scientific cooperation” and providing “a regular framework for political dialogue.”

Al Jazeera

It said Article 2 of the agreement stipulates that relations are based on “respect for human rights and democratic principles,” which it called “a fundamental element of the agreement.”

Egypt Today connected Sánchez’s call to those legal commitments, stating that the call came after an Israeli attack on the “Global Freedom Flotilla,” which was attempting to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

The same report said that on Sunday, the “Spring 2026 Mission” of the “Global Resilience Flotilla”—aiming to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians—set sail from the Italian island of Sicily after completing its final preparations.

Egypt Today added that on Wednesday evening, the Israeli military launched an attack in international waters off the coast of Crete, targeting boats carrying activists, and it said flotilla officials reported that the vessels carried “345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens.”

It further said Israeli forces seized “21 boats” during the operation, while “17 boats managed to enter Greek territorial waters,” and “14 others continued sailing toward those waters.”

The sources portray immediate next steps as revolving around the detained activists’ release, legal scrutiny, and potential changes to EU-Israel relations, while also describing how consular access and questioning are being used to frame the detention.

“Toggle Play Spain’s Sanchez demands Netanyahu free Spaniard seized on aid flotilla Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has accused Israel of “abducting” foreign nationals on a Gaza aid flotilla and violating international law, after a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin was detained when Israeli forces intercepted the convoy in international waters”

Al Jazeera

The New Arab said Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed Abukeshek and Ávila were being questioned for possible links to Hamas and that the two men had been granted consular visits, even as Adalah said it had visited them and reported repeated beatings and other treatment.

Al Jazeera

It also said José Manuel Albares told public radio that he had made clear to his Israeli counterpart that the detention was illegal in international waters, and it quoted him directly.

Al Jazeera’s report, focused on Spain’s prime minister, stated that Pedro Sánchez accused Israel of “abducting” foreign nationals on a Gaza aid flotilla and violating international law, and it framed the demand as one for Netanyahu to free the Spaniard seized on the aid flotilla.

Egypt Today described Sánchez’s position as a call for the EU to “immediately suspend its partnership agreement with Israel,” and it tied that demand to the “Law of the Sea” and to the claim that Israel attacked a civilian flotilla in waters that “do not belong to it.”

The New Arab also reported that Abukeshek’s detention strained relations between Israel and Spain and referenced Spain’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood in 2024, placing the incident in a broader diplomatic context.

Taken together, the sources show a dispute that is simultaneously legal, diplomatic, and operational, with the next phase likely to hinge on whether Spain and the EU act on Sánchez’s demands while the detained activists remain in custody under questioning and hunger strike conditions.