Spain’s foreign minister demanded Saturday the immediate freedom of an activist held by Israeli authorities following the interception of a Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters by Israel’s navy.
Israeli forces detained Saif Abukeshek, who holds both Spanish and Swedish citizenship and is of Palestinian heritage, along with Brazilian national Thiago Ávila on Saturday for interrogation. According to a legal advocacy organization, both individuals have started refusing food.
Greek coast guard officials rescued dozens of additional activists following Israel’s maritime operation and transported them to Crete.
“This is a case of illegal detention in international waters, outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities. I have made this clear to my Israeli counterpart,” José Manuel Albares stated during a public radio interview.
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, known as Adalah, confirmed representatives visited both detained men at a holding facility in Ashkelon, an Israeli coastal city. The organization reported both activists claimed to be refusing meals after allegedly suffering repeated physical abuse during their imprisonment.
“Adalah maintains that the treatment of the two activists, including the use of isolation, prolonged blindfolding and physical beatings, constitutes a grave violation of international law,” the organization stated.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted online that authorities were questioning Abukeshek and Ávila regarding potential connections to Hamas, the militant organization. Officials confirmed both men received visits from their respective consular representatives.
The detention of Abukeshek has intensified diplomatic friction between Israel and Spain, a nation that has vocally condemned the Gaza conflict and officially acknowledged Palestinian sovereignty in 2024.
During a Friday campaign rally for upcoming regional elections in southern Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez directly addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Now that Netanyahu has taken foreign citizens, including a Spanish national, and brought them to Israel, I have a few things to say to Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Sánchez told cheering Socialist party supporters.
“First, Spain will always protect its citizens. Second, we will always uphold international law — and this is yet another violation of it,” he declared. “And third, we demand the release of the Spanish citizen who has been illegally detained by the Netanyahu government.”
