Gaza Flotilla Activists Tortured in
Israeli Custody as Court Extends Detention
Al Jazeera English

(May 2, 2026) — An Israeli court has extended the detention of Spanish activist Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces intercepted their ships in international waters earlier this week.

Saif’s wife, Sally Issa, said her husband “is now in shock and very sad because he missed our daughter’s birthday,” adding that both activists are on a hunger strike.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “abducting foreign citizens” and demanded their release, calling the detention “a new violation of international law.”

Joining Al Jazeera from Jaffa was Lubna Tuma, a lawyer from Adalah, an independent human rights organisation, who is representing Thiago Avila. She told Al Jazeera that the two activists were separated from 170 others and abducted into Israel, subjected to severe violence, including being forced to sit on their stomachs and foreheads, blindfolded the whole time, and beaten. s

She said Avila “passed out twice from all the violence” and that when he demanded to see a doctor, the only treatment was painkillers. Tuma argued that Israel has no jurisdiction over foreign civilians in international waters and called the detention “unlawful,” demanding their immediate release.