Israel said Saturday that it had transferred two Gaza flotilla activists for questioning after intercepting the aid operation in international waters on Thursday. Spain described the detention of one of its nationals as "illegal."

First modification: 05/02/2026 - 20:40 Last modification: 05/02/2026 - 20:42

Two activists who participated in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza have been transferred to Israel for questioning, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, after the boats were intercepted by Israeli forces.

The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from ports in France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.

They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday.

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Israel claimed to have removed some 175 activists from the flotilla, but organizers accused Israeli personnel of "kidnapping" 211 people.

Two of them, the Spanish Saif Abu Keshek and the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, were transferred to Israel "to be interrogated by the police authorities," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in X.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, denounced Israel's detention of Abu Keshek as "illegal", warning that it occurs at a time when relations between both countries are already deteriorating.

"We are facing an illegal detention in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities, so Saif Abu Keshek must be released immediately so that he can return to Spain," Albares told the Rac1 radio station.

"This is an episode that further strains our relationship... (with Israel) because of the unacceptable nature of this situation, because a state does not behave in this way."

Deterioration of ties

Relations between Israel and Spain have plummeted since the Gaza war, following the Hamas cross-border attacks of October 2023 and the response of Israel in the Gaza Strip, which has been outraged by the incessant criticism of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, of its bombing of the Palestinian territory.

Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said the two activists were affiliated with an organization sanctioned by the US Treasury.

That group — the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) — has been accused by Washington of "acting clandestinely on behalf of" the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Treasury claimed that the entity had played a role in organizing other Gaza-bound flotillas aimed at breaking Israel's blockade.

Israel's foreign ministry claimed that Abu Keshek was a prominent member of the PCPA. He said Avila was also linked to the organization and was "suspected of illegal activity."

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"Both will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries in Israel," the ministry said.

Albares rejected the accusation, stating: "The information that I myself have requested indicates that it is not possible to establish any link between Saif Abu Keshek and Hamas."

Ávila was among the organizers of a flotilla that attempted to bring aid to Gaza in 2025. That attempt was also intercepted by Israeli forces.

Activists "beaten"

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza and the territory has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Throughout the Gaza war there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, and Israel has cut off aid completely at times.

The organizers of the latest flotilla claimed that the Israeli interception took place more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza.

They claimed that their equipment was destroyed and that the intervention left them facing a "calculated death trap at sea."

Dozens of intercepted activists landed on the Greek island of Crete on Friday, according to an AFP journalist.

Organizers posted photos on X showing two activists with bruises on their faces, while one participant claimed in a recording that they had been "beaten" by Israeli forces on "several occasions."

Hamas condemned the interception and urged human rights groups to take legal action against Israeli authorities for "crimes against the Sumud Global Flotilla, ensuring that they do not enjoy impunity."

The Sumud Global Flotilla's first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza in the summer and fall of 2025 attracted global attention, before Israeli forces intercepted the ships off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October.

The crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were detained and expelled by Israeli forces.

This article is an adaptation of its original in English

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