Israel abducts two Gaza flotilla activists amid international outcry

Two activists from the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, Saif Abu Keshek of Spain and Thiago Avila of Brazil, remain detained by Israel. They were among 175 activists intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece on April 12.

Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian origin, was abducted from the flotilla off Crete on Thursday. He is based in Barcelona and has been organizing Palestinian solidarity movements across Europe for over 20 years. Abu Keshek’s wife has three children, aged one, four, and seven.

According to reports, Abu Keshek was subjected to torture on an Israeli military vessel on Saturday. The Global Sumud Flotilla stated that he reported being kept hand-tied and blindfolded, resulting in bruising to his face and hands.

Avila, a socio-environmentalist from Brazil, has been held at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon since the interception of the flotilla. He was also subjected to physical violence during the seizure of the vessels, including being dragged face-down across the floor and beaten severely, resulting in him passing out twice.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivered a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, stating that Spain would protect its citizens and defend international law. The incident has prompted protests and condemnation from rights groups and governments, with Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs describing it as an “act of piracy”.

Source: Al Jazeera