BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Israeli authorities said Friday they were taking two high-profile activists who led an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, and who were captured by Israel in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, to Israel for questioning. The governments of Spain and Brazil accused Israel of “kidnapping” its citizens.
The activists, Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila, were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. They are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla's steering committee, whose mission was to break Israel's naval blockade and bring some humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those onboard. The incident occurred hundreds of miles (kilometers) from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
Israeli officials said they needed to take early action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters because of the high number of boats involved.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Friday on X that it was taking the two activists to Israel for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity," without providing evidence.
In a joint statement, the governments of Brazil and Spain condemned “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel." Unlike other flotilla participants who were disembarked in Crete, the Spanish and Brazilian activists remained detained aboard an Israeli navy ship in Greek territorial waters.
“This flagrantly illegal action by the Israeli authorities outside their jurisdiction constitutes a violation of International Law, which may be invoked before international courts, and may constitute a crime in our respective national jurisdictions,” the statement added.
The governments of both nations demanded the immediate return of their citizens and immediate consular access.
Activists say they were mistreated by Israeli forces
The Global Sumud Flotilla appealed for international support to pressure Israel to release the activists. It said it was particularly concerned for Abukeshek, who was aboard an observer boat and did not plan on sailing to Gaza, and Ávila.
“We don’t know if they are still in Greek waters,” Ávila's spouse, Lara Souza, said. She added that Brazil's government told her that once the two activists were taken to international waters, it would become more difficult to achieve their release.
In an audio message released Friday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares demanded Abukeshek's immediate release. Around 30 other Spanish citizens disembarked in Crete and were assisted by the embassy in Greece, he said.
Flotilla organizers said Israeli authorities denied activists food and water and forced them "to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded.”
When Israeli forces proceeded to take Abukeshek and Ávila away, the group resisted and were met with “sheer violence,” flotilla organizers said in a statement Friday. “Participants were punched, kicked and dragged across the deck with their hands bound behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them in the chaos.”
Some 34 people, including citizens of the U.S., Australia, Colombia, Italy, Ukraine and others were injured and taken to the hospital upon disembarkation, organizers said.
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to the accusations. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday that activists “taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed.”
Of the 53 vessels that had been sailing prior to the interception, 31 reached safe waters and would continue their attempts to “break the illegal siege of Gaza,” organizers said. The flotilla set sail earlier this month from Barcelona, Spain.
The Greek Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had asked Israel to withdraw its ships from the area and offered its “good services” for the activists to disembark in Greece and be repatriated.
US condemns the flotilla
Protests in solidarity with the flotilla erupted across several capitals including in Rome, Athens and Istanbul.
The U.S. government described the flotilla as a “pro-Hamas initiative” and called on allies to deny the vessels' port access, among other actions.
“The United States expects all our allies, particularly those who have committed to supporting President Trump’s successful 20-Point Plan, to take decisive action against this meaningless political stunt,” the State Department said.
The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group. That attempt involved about 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.
Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, including Ávila, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them while in detention. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.
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