Spain demands Israel release arrested Gaza flotilla crew member

Madrid has demanded the release of a Spanish citizen who was arrested during a raid on a flotilla headed for Gaza and taken to Israel for “questioning”.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told Catalan radio station RAC1 on Saturday that he was concerned about the “illegal detention” of Saif Abukeshek, and called for him to be “released immediately”.

Abukeshek, a Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian origin, was among activists detained as Israeli military forces raided the Global Sumud Flotilla off the coast of Crete earlier this week.

He was one of two men, alongside Brazilian Thiago Avila, then taken to Israel on Friday for “questioning”. Israel claims the two have ties to Hamas.

Albares said that the arrest was made “outside the jurisdiction of Israel”, adding, “Of course, it is a kidnapping.”

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Abukeshek is a leading member of the Palestinian National Conference Abroad, which the United States says operates at the behest of Hamas.

However, the Spanish diplomat insisted that “Israel has not put on the table any evidence about Abukeshek’s relationship with Hamas”.

The Israeli navy stormed 22 of the flotilla boats attempting to deliver aid to Gaza while they were in international waters, hundreds of miles from the strip. Drones and communications-jamming technology were used. They detained 175 of those on board and took them to Greece, except for Abukeshek and Avila.

Albares said that the Spanish consul in Greece had “had to go to the hospital because several activists needed medical assistance”.

The Spanish consul in Tel Aviv was being allowed to see Abukeshek on Saturday, the minister said.

‘Harrowing testimonies’

The Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement that, according to released activists, Abukeshek had been subjected to torture on an Israeli military vessel.

The Adalah legal centre visited the two in Shikma Prison in Israel on Saturday and said, “The harrowing testimonies provided by both activists reveal physical violence and being held for prolonged periods in stress positions by Israeli military forces during the past two days they have spent at sea.”

Abukeshek “reported being kept hand-tied and blindfolded, and being forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure until this morning, resulting in bruising to his face and hands”, it said.

“Avila reported being subjected to extreme brutality by the Israeli military during the seizure of the vessels,” it added, including being “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice”.

Both Thiago and Saif have declared a hunger strike, although they are continuing to drink water. They are scheduled to appear before a court on Sunday for a hearing to extend their detention.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivered a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech on Friday, saying that Spain would always protect its citizens and defend international law.

“We demand the release of the Spanish citizen who has been unlawfully detained by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government,” he said.

Israel’s actions have prompted protests and condemnation from rights groups and governments. Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it an “act of piracy”.