Israel deports Gaza flotilla activists Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila

Israel deported two pro-Palestinian activists, Saif Abu Keshek (Spanish national of Palestinian origin) and Thiago Ávila (Brazilian), after detaining them for a week following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters near Crete last week. The Israeli foreign ministry stated the activists were suspected of links to a terrorist group and illegal activity respectively; Adalah, the rights group representing them, characterized their detention as unlawful and claimed they were subjected to psychological abuse including prolonged interrogations, isolation, and blindfolded transfers during their week in Ashkelon.