ROME, May 4, 2026 (WAFA) – The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome has opened an investigation into the kidnapping of activists following the filing of three complaints over the interception by Israeli occupation forces of ships belonging to the “Global Sumud Flotilla” in support of Gaza last Thursday, according to Italian media reports on Monday.

The investigation concerns Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila, who are currently detained in Israel.

The two were aboard a vessel flying the Italian flag when they were detained in international waters near the Greek island of Crete.

An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the extension of their detention for an additional two days.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome had previously opened a similar investigation in October following an earlier interception of a humanitarian flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.

Around 175 activists of various nationalities were detained on Thursday while aboard approximately 20 vessels belonging to the flotilla, which, according to its organizers, aims to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, where the entry of humanitarian aid remains severely restricted.

The detentions took place hundreds of kilometers from Gaza, in international waters off the Greek island of Crete, far from Israeli shores, compared to previous flotilla interceptions. Several countries condemned the operation, describing it as “illegal.”

This marks the second attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip. In 2025, during its first voyage, hundreds of activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, were detained at sea and later transferred to Israel before being deported.

T.R.