Israel court extends detention of 2 Gaza-bound flotilla activists

An Israeli court on Sunday extended by two days the detention of two activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted last week by the Israeli navy in international waters near Greece, court officials said, reported Xinhua.

The two, Thiago Avila from Brazil and Saif Abu Keshek from Spain, were among about 170 people on board the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla's boats. They are the only two transferred to Israel, as the rest of the activists were taken to the Greek island of Crete.

Israeli authorities suspected the pair of offenses including allegedly aiding an enemy in wartime, membership in a terrorist organization, and contact with a foreign agent, according to the court.

Lawyers from Adalah, an Israel-based Palestinian rights group representing the activists, denounced the proceedings as unlawful, arguing that the alleged offences occurred in international waters, beyond Israeli jurisdiction.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, comprising dozens of vessels, set sail from Barcelona in April and expanded during its stop in Italy to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge the longstanding Israeli blockade of the territory.

Israel said the flotilla was intercepted to enforce what it described as a lawful naval blockade on Gaza. The Israeli operation drew condemnation from several countries, which described the interception as an "assault."