From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Court remands 2 flotilla activists until Sunday; lawyer claims one of them wasn’t headed for Gaza
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An Israeli court has extended the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla until Sunday, according to police and their lawyers, as authorities continue to question the pair.
Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appear before the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court for their second hearing, after they were brought to Israel for questioning last week.
“The court approved their detention until Sunday morning,” Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the Israeli rights group Adalah, which represents the detainees, tells AFP.
A lawyer for Avila claims in court that he hadn’t been on his way to Gaza, but rather had been on a fishing journey to Greece, according to Hebrew media.
Police say the court accepted their request for a five-day remand extension, adding that not all the suspected offenses are related to the flotilla.
The activists were among more than 170 detained by Israel last week when the flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The remainder were all freed Friday in Greece.
Israel says that Abu Keshek and Avila are affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which has been accused by the US Treasury of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” Hamas.
The Times of Israel Community.