[May 9, 2026] The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) welcomes the imminent release from Israeli detention of our colleagues Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukeshek, who were unlawfully abducted by Israeli forces from civilian flotilla vessels in international waters and held under punitive conditions for over a week.

Their release is a victory over Israel’s attempts to criminalize the flotilla movement and smear international solidarity with Palestine as “terrorism.” If Israel had any evidence to support its outrageous accusations that the flotilla was affiliated with Hamas or engaged in unlawful activity, Thiago and Saif would not be released without charges. Their release further exposes these claims for what they are: politically motivated propaganda aimed at justifying violence against civilian flotilla participants and suppressing growing global resistance to Israel’s genocide and settler colonial violence.

For months, Israel and its allies have attempted to portray the flotilla as a security threat in order to prepare public opinion for the possible use of lethal force against unarmed civilians at sea. Today’s development is further proof that Israel has absolutely no legal or factual justification to attack the flotilla or use violence against those participating in it.

We are deeply grateful to the thousands of people, organizations, lawyers, journalists, elected officials, and human rights advocates around the world who mobilized relentlessly to demand Thiago and Saif’s freedom. However, their release underscores a painful reality: Thiago and Saif had governments, diplomatic channels, and international visibility advocating for them. Millions of Palestinians living under brutal Israeli occupation have no such political protection. More than 10,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israeli dungeons and torture camps, subjected to starvation, abuse, isolation, medical neglect, sexual assault, and other cruel and degrading treatment, without international intervention or accountability.

The flotilla movement will continue. Israel’s threats, attacks, and unlawful actions against civilians will not stop international efforts to challenge the illegal siege of Gaza and confront the impunity that has enabled genocide, apartheid, and decades of Palestinian dispossession. We remain committed to acting in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to supporting the broader struggle for freedom, justice, and accountability led by Palestinians themselves.

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