Israel has deported two Gaza flotilla activists after they were detained attempting to sail into Gaza's waters as part of an aid delivery effort, the BBC reports.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian citizen, were expelled from Israel following their participation in a flotilla movement that has challenged Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza for over a decade.
The two activists were part of a vessel attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea. Israel maintains a naval blockade of the coastal territory, which it says is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and other militant groups. The blockade, in place since 2007, restricts maritime access and requires goods entering Gaza to pass through Israeli-controlled checkpoints.
Israeli authorities intercepted the flotilla vessel before it reached Gaza's waters and detained the activists. Following court proceedings, both men were ordered deported and barred from re-entering Israel.
The Gaza flotilla movement emerged in 2008 as an international effort to challenge the blockade through symbolic maritime journeys carrying aid and activists. The movement gained international attention in 2010 when Israeli naval forces raided the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish vessel attempting to reach Gaza, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists. The incident sparked a diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey.
Since then, flotilla attempts have become less frequent but continue sporadically. Israel argues the blockade is legally justified under international law as a security measure during an armed conflict. Critics, including human rights organizations, characterize it as collective punishment of Gaza's civilian population.
The deportations follow Israel's standard legal procedure for handling flotilla participants. Those intercepted are typically detained, processed through immigration courts, and expelled with entry bans. Israel has consistently maintained that aid can be delivered to Gaza through official channels, including the Kerem Shalom crossing, where goods are inspected before entry.
In Israel, as across contested regions, security concerns and aspirations for normalcy exist in constant tension. The maritime blockade remains one of the most contentious aspects of Israel's policies toward Gaza, with supporters viewing it as essential security infrastructure and opponents seeing it as unjustified restriction on civilian movement.
The international community remains divided on the blockade's legality. A 2011 UN panel concluded the blockade was legal, though it found the force used in the Mavi Marmara raid was excessive. Other UN bodies and humanitarian organizations have called for lifting the restrictions, citing the severe humanitarian impact on Gaza's population.
Neither Abu Keshek nor Ávila have made public statements since their deportation. The flotilla movement continues to attract international activists, though recent efforts have been smaller in scale than the high-profile convoys of the early 2010s.
