Six foreign activists from Gaza aid flotilla still held in Israeli detention: Legal center

GAZA (AA) – Six international activists detained after the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla remain in Israeli custody, the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel said Tuesday.

“Six participants who were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, unlawfully intercepted and detained on their way to Gaza amid the ongoing genocide, remain in Israeli detention,” the group said in a statement.

According to Adalah, the detained activists are citizens of Norway, Morocco, and Spain, and the organization’s lawyers have requested permission to visit them on Wednesday if they are not released by then.

Israeli media earlier reported that authorities had extended the detention of Spanish activist Reyes Rigo Cervilla for another week.

The legal center reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing the activists’ release, calling their detention “a violation of international law.”

Earlier Tuesday, over 130 activists from the flotilla were deported through Jordan, while others were still being processed by Israeli authorities.

Last week, Israeli naval forces attacked and seized the flotilla of more than 40 boats carrying humanitarian aid and activists from over 50 countries, who aimed to challenge Israel’s 18-year blockade on Gaza.

Israel’s blockade has severely restricted the movement of goods and people in and out of the enclave, home to nearly 2.4 million Palestinians.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed over 67,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left the Gaza Strip virtually uninhabitable.