Highlander on Gaza Flotilla Recalls Brutal Treatment Onboard Israeli 'Prison Ship'
- Brazilian Thiago Avila and Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek remain in Israeli custody following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Greece last week, with no formal charges filed.
- The humanitarian mission aimed to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has faced critical shortages of food, water, and medicine since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.
- Former detainee Bryn Higgs described the Israeli frigate as a 'makeshift prison' where he was held for 36 hours, reporting he witnessed 'brutal, thuggish violence' and activists forced to kneel for extended periods.
- Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned Israel's charge d'affaires on Wednesday to protest the 'unacceptable and intolerable' detention, though an Israeli court extended Avila and Abu Keshek's custody until Sunday.
- Diplomatic relations have plummeted since Spain recognized a Palestinian state in 2024; Spain recently decorated UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese while Israel denied genocide allegations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has killed over 72,500 Palestinians.
21 Articles
21 Articles
The Second Global Sumud Flotilla: Israeli Piracy and Abduction on the High Seas
Photograph Source: Mtvdanilo – CC BY 4.0 They have become adept flouters of international law. When doing so, they justify such violations with streaky, anaemic interpretations of self-defence and security. The Global Sumud Flotilla’s encore effort to break the Gaza blockade, which has been in place with varying forms of severity since 2007, did have one meritorious claim. After vanishing under a news cycle saturated with the Iran War, the b…
Global Sumud Flotilla activists report sexual abuse while in Israeli custody
Global Sumud Flotilla activists report sexual abuse while in Israeli custody The Global Sumud Flotilla said that activists who were detained during the Gaza-bound aid mission by Israeli forces were subjected to sexual violence and physical abuse. In a statement on Thursday, the group said testimonies from participants pointed to a "pattern of severe physical and sexual violence and systematic degradation". At least four individuals were sexua…
Spain calls in Israeli ambassador over Gaza flotilla detention, calls move ‘unaccepta
Spain summoned Israel’s ambassador Dana Erlich twice over the arrest of Saif Abu-Kashk, a Spain-based Palestinian detained on the Global Sumud flotilla to Gaza; FM Albares called it 'unacceptable' and said it violated international law
The Minister of Foreign Affairs demanded before Congress the immediate release of the Spanish citizen captured in international waters by the Israeli Navy.
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