Key Facts

• Two foreign nationals, Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Thiago Avila from Brazil, were detained by Israeli forces after their aid flotilla was stopped in international waters near Greece.
• The flotilla aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip by delivering humanitarian aid.
• Israeli authorities brought the men to Israel for questioning, while others from the flotilla were released on the Greek island of Crete.
• The Israeli court extended their detention to allow more time for police interrogation and later rejected their appeal to end detention.
• Their lawyer and the Israeli rights group Adalah say their detention is illegal and that the men have faced continuous abuse while held.
• Allegations include isolation, constant bright lighting, blindfolding, and intense interrogation focused on their humanitarian mission.
• Israeli authorities accuse the men of offenses related to alleged ties to a Palestinian organization linked to Hamas, a group considered militant by some governments.
• Spain, Brazil, and the United Nations have requested their quick release, emphasizing that aiding humanitarian causes should not be criminalized.