Israel to release two arrested in Gaza flotilla | Israel-Palestine War News

The lawyer representing Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila tells Al Jazeera that they will be ‘released from their countries’.

Israel must release two Gaza-bound human rights activists who were abducted by Israeli authorities, a rights group has said.

Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Palestinian, and Brazilian Thiago Avila will be freed on Saturday, according to the Adalah rights group, which represents the two men.

The two have been handed over to immigration authorities and are being held in detention pending deportation.

Hadeel Abu Salih, a lawyer who represented the pair in Israeli courts, told Al Jazeera that “they are expected to be released to their countries in the coming days”.

Adalah said they are “closely monitoring” the situation to make sure the release is progressing.

Abu Keshek and Avila were among the activists who traveled to Gaza as part of the war. Global Sumud Flotillawhich was seized by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece.

While the other 168 members of the flotilla were taken to Crete and then released, the two were taken to Israel and detained for questioning.

The ship was part of a humanitarian mission to reach Gaza with aid amid the ongoing conflict and Israeli blockade.

Abu Salih said their arrest was a “violation of international law”.

The lawyer said that throughout the process, the legal team “claimed that all of this was a fraud without legitimate reasons, the purpose of which was to punish them for wanting to oppose the Israeli blockade”.

In prison, Abu Kushek and Avila were “kept in isolation under sanctions despite their non-communal work”, Adalah said.

It added that all the activists were on hunger strike, and Abu Keshek was intensifying his protests by refusing water since Tuesday. Israeli officials have been accused of torture, but have denied this.

On Tuesday, the Israeli court extended their detention until Sunday, although the authorities did not charge the two, but accused them of being affiliated with “terrorist organizations and foreign supporters”. He was previously told by Al Jazeera.

Abu Salih disputed Israel’s claims, saying the two were arrested for “a frivolous crime and torture”.

“Israel’s actions in this regard, illegal seizures and kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, and torture, are serious violations of international law, as Israel’s impunity continues to enjoy,” he said.