Two leading participants in the latest Gaza protest flotilla arrived in Israel for questioning on Saturday after being detained by the Israeli Navy near Greece on April 29-30.
Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, members of the Hamas-linked Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), “will be transferred for questioning by law enforcement authorities,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated.
Abu Keshek, who hold Spanish citizenship, is suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization due to his leading role in the PCPA, the statement noted. Ávila, a Brazilian, is suspected of “illegal activity” as part of his membership in the Hamas front group.
“Both will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries in Israel,” the ministry said.
Saif Abu Keshek is a leading member of the PCPA, a front for the Hamas terrorist organization. The PCPA is an organization designated and sanctioned by the United States.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 1, 2026
Saif Abu Keshek serves as a liaison between senior Hamas officials and international actors, and he assists… pic.twitter.com/17U9KJ6wDI
The Foreign Ministry on Friday dismissed the Global Sumud (“Steadfastness”) Flotilla as a “provocation,” saying the effort was intended to draw attention away from Hamas’s refusal to lay down its weapons.
According to the statement, approximately 175 activists involved in the flotilla were released in Crete after the Greek government agreed to allow them to disembark. Israel thanked Athens for its cooperation, saying the move helped prevent escalation.
Jerusalem reiterated that it would continue to enforce its “lawful naval blockade” of the Hamas-controlled Gaza coast.
“For this to stop happening, there should have been a more consequential approach in the past, under which those who come here pay a price. This is an offense. These individuals are attempting to violate the law, whether Israeli or international, and I believe a harsher approach is warranted,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told JNS on Sunday.
“We know that one of the figures behind several of the flotillas, including the ‘Cuba flotilla,’ attended the funeral of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. We also know that many of them are sponsored by organizations linked to Hamas. We understand the source of these efforts, and anyone attempting to whitewash them to justify such actions risks creating a dangerous precedent that could ultimately backfire,” she said.
“The ships should be confiscated, and I believe that would serve as a stronger deterrent, making clear there is a price to pay,” Haskel added.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday denounced the “Condom Cruise sponsored by Hamas” as “a bunch of boats stocked w/ condoms & drugs (not prescriptions btw).
“Filled w/ useful idiots who pretend to ‘SAVE THE WORLD!’ but who deliver nothing but headaches for [U.S. President Donald Trump’s] Peace Process. A pathetic ‘showboat’ stunt,” the envoy added.
The declared objective of the Global Sumud Flotilla is to “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide.”
Jerusalem maintains that its naval blockade on the enclave, imposed on Jan. 3, 2009, is compatible with international law. It aims to prevent weapons, terrorists and funds from entering or exiting Gaza by sea. Egypt also maintain a blockade on the Gaza Strip, specifically by closing the Rafah border crossing.
Several missions led by the Global Sumud Flotilla were also intercepted by the Israeli Navy last year, with participants detained and deported, including Swedish far-left activist Greta Thunberg.
