THE Spanish foreign ministry is calling on Israel to immediately release a Spanish national it said was being ‘held illegally’ by Israel after a flotilla destined for Gaza was intercepted in international waters.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian origin currently living in Barcelona, appeared in court in Ashkelon, near Gaza on Sunday after Israeli forces intercepted at least 22 boats and 175 activists heading for the war-torn strip.
Thiago Avila, from Brazil and a fellow member of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was also taken to Israel for questioning.
The pair were detained by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece after the flotilla attempted to break through Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza to deliver aid.
Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares told Catalan radio station RAC1 that he was concerned about the ‘illegal detention’ of Abu Keshek, and called for him to be ‘released immediately’.
He said the arrest was made ‘outside the jurisdiction of Israel’, before adding: “Of course, it is a kidnapping.”
In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Abu Keshel had been subject to torture onboard an Israeli military vessel.
“The harrowing testimonies provided by both activists reveal physical violence and being held for prolonged periods in stress positions by Israeli military forces during the past two days they have spent at sea,” said the Adalah legal centre, which visited the pair in Shikma Prison on Saturday.
It said Abu Keshek ‘reported being kept hand-tied and blindfolded, and being forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure until this morning, resulting in bruising to his face and hands’.
Both men have declared a hunger strike in protest at their treatment.
On Friday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez called on Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to release Abu Keshek during a rally in Andalucia, adding that Spain would always protect its citizens and defend international law.
“We have seen that the Israeli authorities under Netanyahu’s government have kidnapped several citizens who were on the flotilla heading to Palestine to deliver humanitarian aid and to continue reminding the world that there are people suffering in Gaza, in the West Bank, and throughout Palestine,” he said.
Israel’s foreign ministry have accused Abu Keshek of being a leading member of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a group the US says is working ‘clandestinely’ on behalf of terrorist group Hamas.
But Spanish officials say Israel have yet to provide any evidence to verify this claim.
This is the second attempt made by the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver aid to Gaza.
In 2025, a convoy of boats holding activists that included Swedish activist Greta Thunberg were intercepted off the coast of Egypt.
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