An Israeli court extends the detention of the Gaza Flotilla leaders until Sunday

Barcelona / MadridAn Israeli court has extended until Sunday the detention of the two leaders of the Global Flotilla Sumud, the Catalan-Palestinian Saif Abukeshek and the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, who have been in a prison facility since they were captured in international waters in Wednesday's assault on the civilian humanitarian mission against the Gaza blockade. The court in the coastal city of Ashkelon, where they are being held, ruled on Sunday that the prosecution had two more days to present the formal indictment. The Israeli government accuses them of terrorism, and they are detained in Shikma prison, on a hunger strike for the seventh day.

The Israeli government accuses them of terrorism and they are detained in Shikma prison, on a hunger strike for the seventh day.

Adalah, which has announced an appeal against the decision to extend the detention, pointed out that, as the activists were kidnapped more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza and are not Israeli citizens, Israeli domestic legislation does not apply to them. Nevertheless, the judge approved the extension of detention at the request of the prosecution, "based on secret evidence that neither the detainees nor their lawyers have been able to review," says the defense.

From Madrid, Sally Issa, Abukeshek's wife, has publicly denounced the "torture" her husband has suffered and has called for society to mobilize to achieve his release. She says that Israel "does not allow him" to speak with family members, only with the consul and the lawyer, and has described the mistreatment: "His hands were tied behind his back so tightly that he had no feeling in his hands. He suffered blows and was kept face down without being able to breathe. The shipmates told us that they could hear the screams throughout the entire journey to Greece."

On Monday, the lawyers for Abukeshek and Ávila visited them in prison and warned about "the psychological abuse and mistreatment" to which they are subjected. The Brazilian informed them that he had been subjected to repeated interrogations of more than eight hours in which he had been threatened with death. They also reported that both are in isolation cells with an "extremely low" temperature and intense lighting 24 hours a day, a practice

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs

The rest of the 181 activists of the Flotilla who were captured at sea also reported beatings and ill-treatment when their boats were boarded and they were held for 40 hours on an Israeli frigate. About thirty crew members requested medical attention and have denounced the complicity of Greece and the European Union in the military operation. Now the rest of the Flotilla is considering whether to continue with the thirty vessels that were not intercepted in the Israeli military operation, including those that were to join in Greece and Turkey. Since Friday, thousands of people around the world have organized protests to demand the release of those detained.

Colau ratifies complaint against Israel for the assault on the 2025 Flotilla

For her part, Ada Colau has ratified before Dolores Delgado, the prosecutor for Human Rights and Democratic Memory, the complaint she filed, along with other activists, for the "aggression" she suffered aboard the Flotilla that attempted to reach Gaza last autumn and which was also intercepted by Israel. Among others, the complaint is for the crimes of war crimes, crimes against humanity, inhumane treatment, illegal detention, and kidnapping against two ministers of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. "We are collectively fighting from civil society to do what European governments should be doing, which is to put a stop to a genocidal and criminal state," defended the former mayor of Barcelona. Likewise, she expressed confidence that this will help to "accelerate international pressure" and called for actions to be "streamlined" and "not delayed" for months: "There are lives literally in danger.

The investigation is still in a very embryonic phase: the declaration before the Prosecutor's Office is a preliminary step for the public ministry to decide whether to proceed with the case and file a complaint. The complainants' objective is for the case to end up in the International Criminal Court. Lawyer Jaume Asens is confident that this path they have initiated will be replicated in other countries: "Spain sets an example and is at the forefront in the fight against Israel's impunity," he highlighted. This Tuesday, five people will testify, and on Wednesday it will be the turn of, among others, Jordi Coronas – an ERC councilor in Barcelona and captain of one of the ships.