Following the illegal assault in international waters, some of the participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla are reportedly being released in Greece, according to sources at the Spanish embassy in the country.
However, this is not a complete release. Of the approximately 175 activists illegally abducted in international waters, the State of Israel is holding at least two participants and members of the flotilla’s international coordination team hostage. These are Brazilian Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian citizen with a Spanish passport, who are believed to be on the Israeli vessel en route to Israel.
A statement from the Flotilla’s official channels reads:
The participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla have just survived 40 hours of calculated cruelty aboard an Israeli navy vessel in Greek waters. They were denied adequate food and water. They were forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded. When the military attempted to abduct two participants, Saif Abukeshek (Spanish/Palestinian origin) and Thiago Ávila (Brazil), our crew peacefully resisted, and the response was pure violence. The participants were punched, kicked, and dragged across the deck with their hands tied behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, fractured ribs, and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them amidst the chaos. The Greek police are now rounding up our mistreated crew in buses, denying them the freedom to leave, while Saif and Thiago have been abducted and taken to occupied Palestine. 60 participants have immediately begun a hunger strike. We demand their release and international accountability. NOW.
In a post on social media, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that “the Greek government agreed that the activists from the flotilla would be disembarked on its shores.” However, it immediately added: “Saif Abu Keshek, suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization, and Thiago Avila, suspected of illegal activity, will be taken to Israel for questioning.”
Information regarding the whereabouts and condition of the remaining kidnapped participants remains scarce. This silence is part of the Zionist entity’s criminal actions, which include holding nearly 200 people hostage for more than 24 hours, without providing a list of their names, their location, or the charges against them.
The genocidal state thus extends its impunity far beyond its borders. This time, the flotilla’s intervention not only took place in international waters, but 1,100 kilometers from its coast. All this occurred under the watchful eye and with the complicity of the EU, with Frontex drones flying over the operation and the Greek Coast Guard refusing to respond to the emergency calls issued from the attacked vessels.
The Greek government is also reportedly deepening its collaboration with the Israeli operation by attempting to deport the kidnapped individuals against their will. Once they arrive at the port, they are allegedly being forced onto buses bound for Crete’s airport. An EU government is depriving citizens —many with European passports — of their freedom of movement, citizens who have committed no crime on Greek soil but were taken there after an illegal detention in international waters.
On Thursday, rallies and demonstrations took place in more than 200 cities worldwide, the largest in Italy and Barcelona. The demand to end the genocide and the blockade, to oppose the imperialist escalation in Iran and Lebanon, and for the freedom of kidnapped activists will also feature prominently in today’s May Day mobilizations and events planned around the world.
Originally Published in Spanish on May 1 on La Izquierda Diario.
The post Israel Still Holding Two Spokespersons from the Gaza Flotilla Hostage appeared first on Left Voice.
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