Israeli court extends Flotilla activists’ detention

An Israeli court on Tuesday extended the detention of Global Sumud Flotilla activists Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukeshek for a second time, despite the absence of any formal charges. The two men remain in solitary confinement following their seizure from a humanitarian mission on Thursday.

The detention follows the Israeli military’s illegal interception of the Sumud Flotilla in international waters near Greece, as it sailed to breach the naval blockade on Gaza. While 175 other activists were released to Crete, many badly bruised and several hospitalized, Ávila and Abukeshek were forcibly transferred to the Shikma detention facility.

The activists are now on their fifth day of a hunger strike to protest their “illegal kidnapping.” Legal representatives from Adalah report the men have been subjected to systemic torture, including beatings, sleep deprivation, and explicit death threats against their families.

The move has sparked a diplomatic crisis, with 11 nations and international organizations including Amnesty International demanding their immediate release and condemning the interception as a violation of international law.