An Israeli court extended the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla until Sunday, according to police and their lawyers, as authorities continued to question the pair.

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared Tuesday before the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court for their second hearing, after they were brought to Israel for questioning last week after naval forces inteercepted several boats from the flotilla.

“The court approved their detention until Sunday morning,” Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the Israeli rights group Adalah, which represents the detainees, told AFP.

Police said the court accepted their request for a five-day remand extension, adding that not all the suspected offenses are related to the flotilla.

Adalah said it would appeal the extension of the remand.

A lawyer for Avila claimed in court that he hadn’t been on his way to Gaza, but rather had been on a fishing journey to Greece, according to Hebrew media.

The flotilla’s vessels, with 170 activists, had set sail from France, Spain, and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The Israeli Navy intercepted the flotilla, comprising 58 boats, overnight between Wednesday and Thursday off the coast of Crete, hundreds of nautical miles (over 1,000 kilometers) from Israel. With the exception of Avila and Abu Keshek, all........

© The Times of Israel