Two activists from a Gaza flotilla arrested off the coast of Greece have been brought to Israel for questioning, a move Spain has condemned as “illegal”.
The flotilla of more than 50 ships had set out from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.
They were captured by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed around 175 activists – two of whom were sent to Israel for questioning.
Organizers accused Israel of “kidnapping” 211 people.
On social media platform X, Israel’s Foreign Ministry identified the pair as Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian citizen, saying they were sent to Israel “for questioning by law enforcement authorities.”
But Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares denounced Abu Keshek’s detention as “illegal”, saying it would further tarnish deteriorating bilateral relations.
“This is an illegal detention in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities, which means that Saif Abu Keshek must be released immediately so that he can return to Spain,” Albares told Rac1 radio.
“This episode further strains our relations… because this situation is unacceptable, a state should not behave in this way.”
Deterioration of connections
Ties between Israel and Spain have been strained since the Gaza war sparked by October 2023 cross-border attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s criticism of his bombing of the Palestinian territory.
Both countries recalled their ambassadors.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the two activists were linked to an organization that had been sanctioned by the US Treasury.
That group – the People’s Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) – has been accused by Washington of “acting clandestinely on behalf” of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Treasury said the organization had played a role in organizing other Gaza-bound flotillas aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Abu Keshek was a leading member of the PCPA and that Avila was also linked to the organization and “suspected of illegal activity”.
Albares dismissed the allegations, saying: “The information I myself have sought shows that no link can be established between Saif Abu Keshek and Hamas.”
Avila was among the organizers of a flotilla that tried to bring aid to Gaza last year, which was also intercepted by Israeli forces.
Activists are ‘beaten’
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza and the territory has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid.
Organizers of the latest flotilla said Israeli interception took place more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza and their equipment was broken, leaving them facing a “calculated death trap at sea”.
Dozens of intercepted activists landed on the Greek island of Crete on Friday, according to an AFP reporter.
The organizers published photos on X showing two activists with bruises on their faces. One participant said in the footage shared that Israeli forces had “beaten” them “several times”.
The Israeli rights group Adalah said its lawyers had met with the two activists detained in Shikma prison in Ashkelon.
Avila told lawyers he was subjected to extreme brutality when the ships were seized, adding that he was dragged face down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice.
Since arriving in Israel, he said he was “held in solitary confinement and blindfolded,” according to Adalah.
Abu Keshek was also “handcuffed and blindfolded … and forced to lie face down on the floor from the moment of his capture” until he reached Israel, the group said.
The two have “declared a hunger strike, although they continue to drink water”, he added.
The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first Mediterranean trip to Gaza in the summer and autumn of 2025 attracted worldwide attention, before Israeli forces seized the boats off the coast of Egypt and Gaza in early October.
Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and deported by Israeli forces.
