An Israeli court has extended by two days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said on Sunday.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists aboard the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete.
A court spokesperson confirmed that their remand had been extended until May 5.
Israeli Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the activists were brought into the country for questioning.
The governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling their detention illegal.
Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension of their arrest on suspicion of offences that include assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organization, said rights group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists' defence.
Hadeel Abu Salih, the men's attorney, said that the two deny the allegations. Their arrest was unlawful due to a lack of jurisdiction, she told Reuters at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court after the hearing, adding that the mission was meant to provide aid to civilians in Gaza, not to any militant group.
Abu Salih said that Abu Keshek and Avila were subjected to violence en route to Israel and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.
The activists were part of a second Global Sumud flotilla, launched in an attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance. The ships had set sail from Barcelona on April 12.
Israel attacked the flotilla in international waters on Thursday, and seized more than 20 vessels en route to Gaza with supplies. As many as 175 activists had been detained.
A Turkish Airlines flight carrying 59 activists from various countries, including 18 Turkish nationals, landed at Istanbul Airport late Friday after departing from Crete.
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory's 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation. It also launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, and destroying the territory. A ceasefire was reached in October 2025, but restrictions on entry of aid and breaches of the truce have continued.
