Tel aviv: An Israeli advocacy group for Palestinians inside Israel sent an urgent letter Friday to the navy's legal advisor demanding the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of two foreign activists unlawfully taken into custody following Israel's seizure of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla. The group, Adalah, identified the two activists as Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, and demanded that they be granted immediate access to legal counsel before any questioning begins.

According to Anadolu Agency, while most of the more than 160 people taken into Israeli custody following the seizure of 21 flotilla vessels in the humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters near the Greek island of Crete on April 30 were transferred to Greek authorities on Friday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the two activists would instead be taken to Israel for questioning.

"Israel's actions amount to the abduction of foreign civilians in international waters without legal authority," Adalah said in a statement. It stressed that "the humanitarian flotilla is a legitimate form of humanitarian action and solidarity with the people of Gaza being conducted in the context of the longstanding unlawful blockade on Gaza, which continues to lead to widespread suffering and starvation among the Palestinian population."