Israel deports two Gaza aid flotilla activists after detaining them for over a week

Israel has deported two activists, a Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin and a Brazilian national, after detaining them for just over a week.

They were part of an international aid flotilla attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila, both members of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s steering committee, were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete.

The flotilla's stated mission is to break Israel’s naval blockade and bring some humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the two activists in a post on X on Sunday "professional provocateurs”, saying "Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza."

At the time of their arrest, authorities said the two had been detained for questioning, with Abukeshek "suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organisation" and Ávila "suspected of illegal activity”, without providing evidence. No formal charges have been publicised.

Spain and Brazil have condemned "the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel" in a joint statement, their detention sparking solidarity protests in several countries.

open image in gallery

In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists reported Israeli forces stormed vessels, smashed engines, and detained some onboard. The incident occurred hundreds of miles (kilometres) from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

Israeli officials said early action was needed against the flotilla due to the high number of boats, preventing it from reaching Israeli waters.

This latest attempt comes less than a year after authorities foiled a previous effort involving 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported participants, including Ávila, who claimed abuse by Israeli authorities, a charge Israel denied.

In Gaza, an Israeli strike hit a vehicle, killing at least two people, including a Hamas police officer, according to the Nasser hospital, which received the casualties.

The vehicle was struck late Sunday morning in Al-Amal neighbourhood in southern Khan Younis, said civil defence, a first responders’ agency operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

The two killed included Col. Wessam Abdel-Hadi, head of the police investigation department in Khan Younis, the hospital said. The Israeli military said it was reviewing the strike.

The fatalities were the latest among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October fragile ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the shaky ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.

Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing at least 850 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.