Israel will release two foreign activists detained after leading a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and transfer them to immigration authorities pending deportation, legal rights group Adalah announced recently.
The two activists, Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, were among dozens of people aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off Greece on April 30.
Adalah said Israel’s internal security agency informed its lawyers that the two men would be released from detention and held by immigration authorities until they are deported.
The pair had been held for more than a week after being brought to Israel for questioning. An Israeli court earlier this week extended their detention to allow more time for interrogation, and a subsequent appeal was rejected.
Spain, Brazil and the United Nations had called for their release.
Adalah said both men had launched hunger strikes while in detention, adding that Abu Keshek stopped drinking water on May 5.
Israeli authorities have not filed charges against the activists but previously accused them of assisting the enemy during wartime and providing services to a terrorist organisation, according to Adalah.
Israel has alleged that both men are affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, which the United States has accused of acting on behalf of Hamas.
The flotilla departed from France, Spain and Italy in an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s longstanding blockade of the territory.
