Israeli court rejects appeal over detention extension of Gaza flotilla activists

An Israeli district court in Beersheba on Wednesday rejected an appeal filed by rights group Adalah against the extension of the detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla activists Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek.

Attorney Hadeel Abu Saleh, from the Adalah human rights center, told Anadolu: “We appealed to the Central Court in Beersheba after the Magistrate’s Court decided to extend their detention for six days.”

“In our appeal, we said that the arrest was illegal and took place in international waters, and that the court, the Israeli police or the authorities had no jurisdiction to make the arrest,” she added.

Abu Saleh said both activists were questioned from day one regarding their humanitarian mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, and that when they were detained by the Israeli navy, they were on their way to Greece.

She noted that the Central Court in Beersheba “rejected the appeal and accepted all the arguments presented by the Israeli police to the court and kept the decision as it was,” meaning the decision to extend the detention.

On Tuesday, Adalah appealed a ruling by the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court extending the detention of Avila and Abukeshek for six days until next Sunday.

In a statement, the group said the detention “lacks any legal basis,” adding that the activists were “abducted from international waters more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.”

It added that neither activist is an Israeli citizen, which “eliminates any basis for applying Israeli domestic law to them.”

The statement also said “the accusations against them — including aiding the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in a terrorist organization, providing services to such an organization and transferring property on its behalf — were unsupported by evidence and unrelated to a civilian humanitarian activity carried out through a relief flotilla.”

Adalah further said that there was no reasonable suspicion or risk of obstructing the investigation, making the continued detention “arbitrary and unlawful.”

The organization said no formal indictments have been filed and that the two remain detained solely for ongoing investigation purposes.

On April 29, the Israeli military intercepted boats affiliated with the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Crete.

Flotilla organizers said 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens, were aboard the vessels.

They said Israeli forces seized 21 boats carrying about 175 activists, while other vessels continued toward Greek territorial waters.

The initiative was the second mission launched by the Global Sumud Flotilla after a September 2025 attempt ended with an Israeli raid on ships in international waters and the arrest of hundreds of international activists.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007. About 1.5 million Palestinians in the enclave have been displaced after two years of war that began in October 2023.