Israel deported two activists on Sunday after they were detained near Greece for more than a week for leading an aid group that tried to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The two, Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila, were among dozens of activists caught by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. Both are members of the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, whose mission is to break the Israeli naval blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Palestinian land.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the two activists “professional provocateurs” in a social media post on Sunday, saying “Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade in Gaza.”
At the time of the arrest, Israeli officials said the two had been detained for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of having ties to a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activities,” without testifying. No official charges against them have been announced.
In a joint statement, Spain and Brazil condemned “the abduction of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel.” Their detention sparked solidarity protests in several countries.
In total, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces raided their ships, broke the engines and detained some of those on board. The incident happened hundreds of miles from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
