Israel Deports Two Activists from Gaza Aid Flotilla
Al Jazeera Staff
Israel has deported two foreign activists detained from an aid flotilla on international waters. The two are accused of links to a terrorist organization and illegal activities, which they deny. Spain, Brazil and the UN have called for their immediate release.
Israel has deported two foreign activists detained from an aid flotilla on international waters, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Palestinian dual national, and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian, were among dozens of activists on the vessel when the Israeli navy intercepted it off the Greek island of Crete on April 30.
The two were taken by Israeli forces to Israel for questioning, while others were brought to Crete and released. The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on X: “Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, from the provocative flotilla, were deported from Israel” on Sunday after an investigation.
In a video shared on social media, Abu Keshek said he had arrived in Athens, Greece, and thanked his legal team. “I want to thank all those who mobilized, the Adalah legal team, my family, my wife and children, my colleagues in the movement,” he said in the video posted by Global Sumud Flotilla.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Abu Keshek is suspected of ties to a “terrorist” organization, while Avila is suspected of illegal activities. Both deny the allegations, asserting they were on a humanitarian mission for Gaza civilians and that the detention on international waters was illegal. Spain, Brazil and the United Nations have called for their immediate release.
An Israeli court rejected an appeal against the detention of the pair on Wednesday, and the human rights group representing them called the ruling “illegal.” The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from France, Spain and Italy aiming to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
The flotilla’s first voyage last year was also intercepted by Israeli forces off the coast of Egypt and Gaza. Israel controls all access points to Gaza, which has been under blockade since 2007. During Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, which began in October 2023, shortages of essential supplies became severe. The war has displaced most of the territory’s population and left them dependent on aid, which humanitarian agencies say is arriving too slowly because Israel sometimes cuts off aid entirely.
