Israel deported two activists on Sunday after being detained near Greece for slightly over a week for leading an aid flotilla attempting 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 intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. Both are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s steering committee, whose mission is to break Israel’s naval blockade and bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the two activists “professional provocateurs” in a post on social media on Sunday, saying “Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.”
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At the time of the arrest, Israeli authorities said the two had been detained for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity,” without providing evidence. No formal charges against them have been publicised.
In a joint statement, Spain and Brazil condemned “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel.” Their detention sparked solidarity protests in several countries.
In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those on board. The incident occurred hundreds of miles from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.