Two international activists seized from a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla have been deported from Israel after more than a week in detention, Israeli and rights group officials confirmed on Sunday. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were released from Israeli detention on Saturday morning and handed to immigration authorities before being expelled from the country. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed the deportations, stating that authorities had concluded their investigation and would "not permit any violation" of the Gaza blockade.
The two men were among approximately 175 activists intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters near the Greek island of Crete on 30 April. The flotilla — organised by the Global Sumud Flotilla campaign, which had set sail from France, Spain and Italy — aimed to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. While most detainees were released on the island of Crete within days, Abu Keshek and Avila were transferred to Israel for questioning, with Israeli authorities identifying them as the principal organisers of the mission. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, a densely populated Palestinian coastal territory, since 2007.
Israeli authorities alleged that Abu Keshek had ties to the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group the United States has accused of acting on behalf of Hamas, and that Avila was engaged in unlawful activities. Both men consistently denied the allegations, insisting their mission was purely civilian and humanitarian in nature. They also contested the legality of their arrest, which took place in international waters. An Israeli court extended their detention until Sunday to allow additional interrogation, and an appeal against the detention was rejected by a district court on Wednesday.
Rights group Adalah, which represented the pair, said they were held in isolation under "punitive conditions" and that both had undertaken a hunger strike in protest. Abu Keshek had reportedly escalated to refusing water on 5 May. Spain, Brazil and the United Nations all called for the men's immediate release. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly condemned the continued detention as "unjustifiable," while both Madrid and Brasília described the original arrests in international waters as unlawful.
The deportations bring to a close a diplomatic episode that drew significant international attention to the ongoing debate over access to Gaza. Israel controls all entry points to the territory and has firmly rejected attempts to breach the blockade by sea. No charges were formally filed against either man before their expulsion.