The Zionist entity’s depravity has, once again, been put on display on the global stage as it has violently intercepted and kidnapped 211 activists participating in the Spring 2026 Mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Al-Ahrar Palestinian Prisoner Support extends our militant solidarities with the activists and calls for the immediate release of Saif Abu Keshek, a Palestinian with Spanish and Swedish citizenship, and Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian citizen, who remain prisoners of the Zionist occupation due to allegations of so-called “terrorism.”
The Criminalization of Humanitarian Missions
The Spring 2026 Mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla comprised of over 50 ships departing from France, Spain, and Italy in an attempt to breach the suffocating siege the Zionist entity has cruelly subjected the honourable people of Gaza to since 2007.
Activists of the flotilla mission were carrying humanitarian aid including food, water, fuel, and medical supplies that was to be distributed to the Palestinian people, but over 500 miles from the shores of Gaza and in international waters near the island of Crete, Zionist naval forces boarded the vessels and proceeded to torture and kidnap the participants who reported being beaten, kicked, dragged, shot at, and forced into containers.
As we have stated previously, “it is no coincidence that the U.S. and its imperial allies continue to send arms to the Zionist entity whilst sanctioning any action that alleviates Palestinian suffering from said arms: it is a purposeful, fascist attempt to crush the steadfast Palestinian national liberation struggle that has won the hearts and minds of millions across the globe.”
The Zionist-Greek Alliance
In collaboration with Greek authorities, who Ahrar vehemently condemns for their participation in this heinous act, the activists were left on beaches where over 30 of them would later be transported to local hospitals to treat their injuries which included broken bones.
The Zionist-Greek collaboration comes to Ahrar as no surprise given the regular visits from Zionist ministers to Greece in recent months, Greek purchasing of Zionist arms, the long-serving agreement between the two collaborator states for Zionist forces to use Greek land as training grounds for the operations they carry out against Palestine and south Lebanon, and generally the role that Greece plays “as a forward base of U.S. imperialism in the east Mediterranean”, as comrade Evan Katsounis describes it (Ahrar strongly recommends watching his recent interview with journalist Calla Walsh where they discuss this in detail).
U.S.-Led “Counter-Terrorism” Efforts
The Zionist occupation is currently using American Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) listings from earlier this year to justify their capture and torture of Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, both steering committee members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The American “terrorist” listings follow the Zionist entity’s designation of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) as a “terrorist” organization in August 2021. Zionists are particularly interested in trying Saif for alleged ties to Hamas through the PCPA.
Ahrar and other regional forces of the Masar Badil previously condemned this SDGT listing of a founding member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Zaher Birawi, and the PCPA:
“The U.S. absurdly identifying flotillas as a “Hamas front” not only criminalizes the act of attempting to break the siege on Gaza and the various organizations involved in the action, but also the leadership of these organizations, too. Birawi’s designation, as well as that of the PCPA for their involvement in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is a grave and dangerous escalation from SDGTs initially criminalizing groups perceived to be affiliated with the Resistance and armed struggle because of their political line. Now, there is an expansion to consistently include individuals and organizations doing humanitarian aid work.”
This is clearly an internationally coordinated attack on Palestinian disaporic forces and internationalists who support them. Seven other prominent Palestinian and Arab activists who are outwardly supportive of the Palestinian struggle and its resistance forces were arrested in December 2025 in Italy, several whom were members of the PCPA: Mohammed Hannoun, Raed Al-Salahat, and five other Palestinians.
Whether or not these men are connected to Hamas is irrelevant. We must be loud and uncompromising in our stance of unconditional solidarity with the prisoners of this mission and those who still remain in Italian prisons for the same reason.
Zionist Prison Conditions and Resistance
Comrades Saif and Thiago now face the same torturous and barbaric repression as Palestinians incarcerated in Zionist prisons. The activists appeared in court on May 3, 2026 with faces visibly bruised. Both reported being forced to hold stress positions for hours on end, beaten, and dragged. Thiago reports having been beaten so severely he lost conciousness twice.
These events occur in the context of previous flotilla missions in which participants were kidnapped and similarly tortured, facing beatings, abuse, and sexual assault. Similarly, Palestinians in Zionist prisons experience various methods of torture, medical neglect, starvation, and now possible execution. Despite their despicable conditions, Palestinian political prisoners are at the forefront of the struggle for liberation and take action to challenge their oppressors, with hunger strikes being one of their most prominent tactics. Since their detention, Saif and Thiago, too, have been engaged in a hunger strike. Saif and Thiago are part and parcel of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement, especially given their arrests are not typical detain and deport arrests.
The continued criminalization and “terrorist” designation of any individual or entity who tries to support Palestinians’ struggle for liberation in the face of Zionist violence only further exposes the delusion of the Zionist entity and its allies. It is clear to anyone who is paying attention how meaningless the word “terrorist” has become when the most violent entities on the planet use it to repress the most brave and principled among us, from the honourable resistance forces to the brave prisoners resisting from inside Zionist jails, to Palestinians in Palestine and in the diaspora, to allies risking their safety to break the siege on Gaza.
Free all prisoners of the Palestinian struggle!
Long live the Resistance!
Break the chains and let them fall!
Free, free Palestine!
