ASHKELON, Israel — An Israeli court extended the detention of Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters near Greece, court and legal officials said Sunday, May 3, 2026. The case has widened into a diplomatic and legal dispute as Spain and Brazil called the arrests illegal, while Israel said the two activists were being questioned over suspected security offenses.
The two men were part of the second Global Sumud mission, which left Barcelona on April 12 to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. According to Reuters, the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court extended their remand until May 5 after Israeli authorities sought more time to question them.
Gaza flotilla arrests draw international legal challenge
Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement calling the detention illegal, and Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, demanded Abu Keshek’s immediate release. “This is a case of illegal detention in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities,” Albares told Spanish public radio, according to The Associated Press.
The Israel-based legal group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists’ defense, said Abu Keshek and Ávila deny the allegations and argue Israel has no jurisdiction over acts by foreign nationals in international waters. Their attorney, Hadeel Abu Salih, said the mission was humanitarian and not intended to aid any armed group.
Israeli authorities accused the men of offenses that include assisting an enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent and membership in or services to a terrorist organization. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Abu Keshek and Ávila physically obstructed personnel and that Israeli actions were lawful, Reuters reported.
How the interception unfolded
More than 100 other activists from the flotilla were taken to the Greek island of Crete after Israeli forces intercepted the boats near Greece, according to an earlier Reuters report on the interception. The flotilla organizers said the mission carried humanitarian aid and was meant to draw attention to conditions in Gaza.
Israel has long argued that its naval blockade is a security measure intended to stop weapons from reaching Hamas. Activists and several governments have challenged that position, saying interceptions in international waters violate international law and block urgently needed aid.
Adalah said both men reported mistreatment while in custody, including beatings, blindfolding and isolation. The group also said the two had begun a hunger strike. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the men had been granted consular visits, according to AP.
Previous Gaza flotilla missions shape the dispute
The latest confrontation follows a series of earlier attempts to reach Gaza by sea. In August 2025, a flotilla departed Barcelona with food, water and medicine in what organizers described as the largest attempt at the time to break the blockade, according to AP coverage of the Barcelona departure.
In October 2025, Israeli authorities processed hundreds of detained international activists after intercepting another Gaza-bound flotilla in the Mediterranean, according to AP reporting on that interception. Days later, Israel deported 171 activists, including Greta Thunberg, while others remained in custody.
The flotilla issue also carries the legacy of the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, when Israeli forces stormed a Turkish-led Gaza aid convoy and 10 activists were killed. A Reuters timeline of the 2010 Gaza flotilla affair shows how the dispute over maritime aid missions has repeatedly triggered diplomatic crises.
Israel, Spain and Brazil face next legal steps
The legal battle now centers on whether Israel can apply wartime security charges to foreign activists seized outside its territorial waters. A Jerusalem Post report said the case has revived attention on previous Global Sumud flotilla missions and the Israeli government’s allegations that some activists had links to Hamas.
Rights groups and flotilla organizers reject those claims, saying the arrests are meant to deter humanitarian activism. Al Jazeera reported that Adalah attorneys argued the proceedings were flawed because the alleged offenses cannot be applied extraterritorially to foreign nationals in international waters.
The court’s extension keeps Abu Keshek and Ávila in custody until at least May 5. The decision leaves Spain and Brazil pressing for consular protection and release, while Israel continues to defend the interception as part of its enforcement of the Gaza blockade.
