Israel deports 2 activists detained for leading an aid flotilla to Gaza

Tel Aviv, Israel — Israel expelled two activists on Sunday after they were detained for just over a week for leading a humanitarian flotilla attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The two Spanish-Swedish citizens of Palestinian origin Saif Aboukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. Both are members of the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, whose mission is to break the Israeli naval blockade and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the two activists in a message on X Sunday “professional provocateurs,” saying that “Israel will not allow any violation of the legal naval blockade of Gaza.”

At the time of the arrest, Israeli authorities stated that the two men had been detained for questioning, that Aukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and that Ávila was “suspected of illegal activities”, without providing evidence. No official charges against them have been made public.

Spain and Brazil condemned “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Israeli government” in a joint statement at the time. Their detention sparked solidarity protests in several countries.

In total, 22 boats and 175 militants were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their ships, smashed the engines and arrested some people on board. The incident occurred hundreds of kilometers from Gaza and Israel on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.

PHOTOS: Israel expels 2 activists detained for leading aid flotilla to Gaza

Israeli officials said they needed to take swift action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters due to the high number of boats involved.

The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous attempt by the group. The attempt involved about 50 ships and about 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and then deported the participants, including Ávila, who claimed that Israeli authorities mistreated them while in detention. Israeli authorities have denied these accusations.

Israeli strike kills two in Gaza

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 wounded.

The vehicle was struck Sunday morning in the Al-Amal neighborhood of the southern city of Khan Younis, said Civil Defense, a first-response agency under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

Among the two killed was Colonel Wessam Abdel-Hadi, who heads the police investigation department in Khan Younis, the hospital said.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the strike.

The deaths are the latest among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since a fragile ceasefire deal attempted to end a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

While the most intense fighting has subsided, the fragile ceasefire has resulted in almost daily Israeli fire.

Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fired on Palestinians near army-held areas, killing at least 850 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, keeps detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown between civilians and militants.

Militants have fired on troops, and Israel says its strikes are a response to these and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

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Associated Press writer Renata Brito in Barcelona, ​​Spain, contributed to this report.