Published 05/10/2026 09:30 | Edited 05/10/2026 09:53
Israel deported this Sunday (10) the Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila and the Palestinian-Spanish Saif Abu Keshek, detained for more than a week after the interception of a humanitarian flotilla that was heading towards the Gaza Strip.
The two were taken to Israel after the operation carried out by the Israeli Navy in international waters, near the coast of Greece.
Ávila and Abu Keshek were part of the Global Sumud flotilla, organized to break the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. According to the governments of Brazil and Spain and the legal organization Adalah, which represented the activists, the approach took place outside Israeli jurisdiction and violated international law.
In a publication on the X network, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs cynically stated that “the two professional provocateurs” were deported after the investigations were concluded.
The Israeli government did not again publicly present evidence of the accusations of “belonging to a terrorist organization” and “contact with the enemy”, used to justify keeping the two activists in prison for more than a week.
The detention generated an international diplomatic reaction. Brazil and Spain released a joint statement stating that the Israeli operation constituted a “blatantly illegal action” and an “affront to international law”. The UN also called for the immediate release of the activists.
After their release, Adalah stated that Thiago Ávila and Abu Keshek were subjected to “total isolation” and “punitive conditions” during their detention in the Shikma detention center, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
According to the organization, the two underwent prolonged interrogations, suffered psychological abuse and remained under permanent intense lighting in their cells.
The activists began a hunger strike during their detention period. According to the defense, Abu Keshek intensified the protest by also refusing water from May 5th. Israel has denied allegations of mistreatment.
During a court hearing, lawyer Hadeel Abu Saleh argued that the activists were under Italian jurisdiction at the time of the interception because the vessel was sailing under the Italian flag. The Italian government even publicly condemned the detention of the mission members.
Global Sumud had left Europe with the aim of bringing humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza, a territory under Israeli blockade.
Since the start of the war, in October 2023, humanitarian organizations and international agencies have reported worsening hunger, destruction of civil infrastructure and severe restrictions on the entry of food, medicine and fuel into the Palestinian enclave.
Source: vermelho.org.br