ASHKELON, Israel - An Israeli court on Sunday approved a two-day extension to the custody of two activists who were detained after their Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said. The remand for the two men was extended until May 5, a court spokesperson confirmed.
The detainees were identified as Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian. They were taken into custody late on Wednesday and brought to Israel following the interception. More than 100 other participants aboard the pro-Palestinian vessels were transferred to the Greek island of Crete after the ships were stopped.
Israeli authorities formally requested a four-day extension of the arrests, according to the rights group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists' defence. The request cited suspicions that include assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organisation.
Hadeel Abu Salih, who is representing the two men, told reporters after the hearing at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court that both defendants deny the charges. She argued the arrests lacked jurisdiction and were therefore unlawful, and reiterated the activists' position that their mission was intended to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza rather than to support any militant group.
Abu Salih also said the two men were subjected to violence while en route to Israel and that they remained handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning. Reuters sought comment from the Israeli military but did not receive an immediate response.
Israel's foreign ministry issued a separate statement on Thursday describing the flotilla organisers as "professional provocateurs" and underlined that the country would not permit a breach of what it described as the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.
The activists were part of the second Global Sumud flotilla, a group of vessels that departed Barcelona on April 12 in an effort to challenge the blockade by delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. The governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling the detention of their nationals illegal.
Procedural details remain central to the unfolding legal process: the court-approved extension keeps the two men in custody while authorities investigate the allegations Adalah cited, and their defence team continues to contest jurisdiction and to characterise the voyage as a humanitarian effort.