Statement Issued by the Global Alliance for Palestine (GAFP)
Israeli Attack on Gaza-Bound Blockade-Breaking Vessels in International Waters Constitutes a Violation of International Law, Piracy, and State Terrorism
We Call for the Immediate Release of Activists Saif Abu Keshk and Thiago de Avila
The Global Alliance for Palestine (GAFP) expresses its strong condemnation and unequivocal rejection of the attack carried out by Israeli forces against the vessels of the Freedom and Sumoud Flotilla in international waters, off the Greek coast and more than 600 nautical miles from the occupied Palestinian territorial waters, on 30 April 2026.
The Alliance affirms that this attack constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, in particular the principles of freedom of navigation on the high seas, and represents an assault on peaceful civilian efforts aimed at breaking the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The Alliance also expresses deep concern over the arrest of civilian activists Tiago de Avila (Brazil) and Saif Abu keshk (a Palestinian holding Spanish citizenship), who were detained by the Israeli navy in international waters near the island of Crete and subsequently transferred to a prison in the city of Ashkelon.
According to testimonies provided by lawyers from the Adalah Legal Centre following their visit to Shikma Prison on 2 May, the two activists were subjected to harsh treatment, including physical violence, prolonged isolation, blindfolding, and being forced into painful positions during their detention. These practices, as documented, constitute grave violations of both international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The Alliance expresses its full solidarity with activists seeking to break the blockade, as well as with all movements and organisations advocating for Palestinian rights, extending particular solidarity to Tiago de Avila and Saif Abu keshk.
The Alliance calls on the Israeli authorities to:
* Immediately and unconditionally release the detained activists;
* Cease all forms of unlawful interrogation and ill-treatment;
* Guarantee their physical and psychological safety and uphold their human dignity.
The Alliance further calls on governments and international organisations worldwide to assume their legal and moral responsibilities and to take urgent and effective steps to secure the activists’ release without delay, and to hold those responsible for these violations to account.
The Alliance stresses the urgent necessity of ending and lifting the unlawful and immoral blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, which has resulted in severe humanitarian deterioration and constitutes a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law.
The Alliance reiterates its support for all forms of peaceful popular action undertaken by solidarity movements around the world in support of Palestinian rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination and the right to freedom of movement to and from Palestine, in accordance with international law and free from the unlawful restrictions imposed by the occupation.
