🔴 Arrest and Torture of Sumoud Flotilla Activists: Palestinian Prisoner’s Society Condemns Detention of Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Kishek

May 3, 2026 

Ramallah, occupied Palestine – The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society condemned the continued detention by Israeli occupation authorities of Global Sumoud Flotilla activists Thiago de Ávila and Saif Abu Kishek, who were abducted last Thursday, April 30, 2026, near the Greek island of Crete.

An Israeli occupation court session was held for them today, Sunday, in Asqalan city. According to the legal team of the Adalah legal rights group, it was decided to extend their detention until Tuesday.

The PPS stated that the assaults, abuse, and abduction the activists were subjected to are an extension of the occupation system’s approach to targeting international solidarity efforts, and an attempt to undermine the role of free people around the world who raise their voices in support of the just rights of the Palestinian people, in rejection of the ongoing genocide and the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.

It added that the scenes of the activists after their abduction and deportation reflect a level of brutality and systematic criminality that is not surprising, given what previous activists faced when participating in attempts to break the siege on Gaza and support the Palestinian people. Human rights reports have documented that hundreds of them were subjected to assault, torture, and detention under coercive and degrading conditions.

According to a visit conducted by Adalah’s legal team, activist Thiago de Ávila reported that he was subjected to severe violence and brutal beatings that caused him to lose consciousness, and he is still suffering from the effects of the assault. He was also interrogated by the Israeli internal security agency (Shin Bet).

Activist Saif Abu Kishek was also reportedly handcuffed and blindfolded, and forced to lie face down from the moment of his abduction, in degrading conditions that violate basic human rights standards.

The PPS saluted the detained solidarity activists as a free voice supporting Palestinian rights, and all those who stand for justice. It called on the world and all free people to carry their message in order to stop the genocide and break the escalating blockade against the people of Gaza. It also called for pressure to secure the activists’ release and to reveal their fate in Israeli occupation prisons, where ongoing crimes are an extension of the continuing genocide.