{"id":3938,"date":"2026-05-09T17:21:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=3938"},"modified":"2026-05-09T17:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:21:19","slug":"israel-to-free-gaza-flotilla-activists-today-before-deportation-rights-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=3938","title":{"rendered":"Israel to Free Gaza Flotilla Activists Today Before Deportation: Rights Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEL AVIV: <\/strong>Israel will release two foreign activists detained from a Gaza-bound flotilla on Saturday before transferring them to immigration authorities for deportation, according to the rights group representing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The activists, Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Thiago Avila, were among dozens aboard a flotilla intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off the coast of Greece on April 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both individuals were taken into custody by Israeli forces and brought to Israel for interrogation, while the remaining activists were transferred to the Greek island of Crete and later released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, the rights group Adalah said, \u201cToday, the Shabak Israeli intelligence agency informed Adalah\u2019s legal team that Global Sumud Flotilla activists and leaders Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek would be released from Israeli detention today, Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation added that the activists would be handed over to Israel\u2019s immigration authorities later in the day and kept in custody pending deportation in the coming days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adalah further said it was closely monitoring the situation \u201cto make sure that the release from detention goes ahead, followed by their deportation from Israel in the coming days\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, an Israeli court had extended the detention of both activists until Sunday to allow additional time for police interrogation, according to their lawyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their legal team later filed an appeal against the extension of detention, but the appeal was rejected by a district court on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spain, Brazil, and the United Nations had all called for the immediate release of the detained activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adalah said Avila and Abu Keshek had been held \u201cunlawfully by Israel for over a week after being taken into Israeli detention\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group also stated that the activists were kept in isolation under what it described as punitive conditions, despite what it said was the civilian nature of their mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Adalah, both detainees had been on hunger strike during their detention, with Abu Keshek reportedly escalating his protest to refusing water on the evening of May 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli authorities have previously denied allegations of mistreatment and have not filed formal charges against the two men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities had accused them of \u201cassisting the enemy during wartime\u201d and \u201cmembership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation\u201d, according to Adalah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel also claimed that both activists were linked to the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an organisation that the United States has accused of secretly acting on behalf of Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flotilla had departed from France, Spain, and Italy with the stated aim of breaking Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel maintains strict control over all entry points into Gaza, which has been under blockade since 2007.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TEL AVIV: Israel will release two foreign activists detained from a Gaza-bound flotilla on Saturday before transferring them to immigration authorities for deportation, according to the rights group representing them.… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2146,2095,52],"class_list":["post-3938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-flotilla-activists","tag-gaza-aid-flotilla","tag-israel"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael to Free Gaza Flotilla Activists Today Before Deportation: Rights Group - World Watch Alert<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Israel is set to release Gaza flotilla activists Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila before deportation, after their detention following interception of a Gaza-bound aid mission.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=3938\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel to Free Gaza Flotilla Activists Today Before Deportation: Rights Group - 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