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Israel to release two detained Gaza flotilla activists

Israel to release two detained Gaza flotilla activists

Lawyer representing Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila tells Al Jazeera they will be ‘released to their home countries’. Published On 9 May 20269 May 2026 Israel is set to release two Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla activists who were abducted by Israeli authorities, a rights group has said. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Palestinian, and Brazilian Thiago Avila will be freed on Saturday, according to a statement from the rights group Adalah, which was representing the two men. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The pair will be handed over to immigration authorities and held in custody pending their deportation. Hadeel Abu Salih, the lawyer who co-represented the pair in Israeli courts, told Al Jazeera that they are “expected to be released to their home countries in the coming days”. Adalah said it is “closely monitoring” the situation to ensure the release goes ahead. Abu Keshek and Avila were among dozens of activists who set sail for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece. While the other 168 members of the flotilla were taken to Crete and then released, the two were taken to Israel and detained for further questioning. The vessel was part of a humanitarian effort seeking to reach Gaza with aid amid the ongoing war and Israel’s blockade. Abu Salih said their abduction was a “clear violation of international law”. The lawyer said throughout this ordeal, the legal team “argued that this entire process was a sham proceeding with no legal basis, intended to punish them for attempting to challenge Israel’s illegal blockade”. During their detention, Abu Kushek and Avila were “held in total isolation under punitive conditions despite the purely civilian nature of their mission”, Adalah said. Advertisement It added that both activists were on a hunger strike, with Abu Keshek escalating his protest by refusing water since Tuesday. Israeli authorities have been accused of abuse, but they have denied this. On Tuesday, an Israeli court extended their imprisonment until Sunday, despite authorities not filing any charges against the pair, but they faced accusations of being affiliated with “terrorist organisations and foreign agents”, Adalah previously told Al Jazeera. Abu Salih dismissed Israel’s claims, saying that the pair were detained over “baseless accusations and subjected to ill-treatment”. “Israel’s actions in this case, the unlawful interception and abduction, arbitrary detention, and torture, constitute grave violations of international law, enabled by the impunity Israel continues to enjoy,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)

One dead in US after being struck by taking off Frontier Airlines plane

One dead in US after being struck by taking off Frontier Airlines plane

Authorities say individual jumped fence at Denver International Airport in Colorado before being struck. Published On 9 May 20269 May 2026 A person has died after jumping an airport perimeter fence in the US state of Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane, according to authorities. Denver International Airport said the unusual incident occurred late Friday, after the unidentified individual gained access to the tarmac. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list It said the “pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway”. A brief engine fire followed the collision, which was put out by emergency responders, according to the airport. It said that 12 of the 231 people on board suffered minor injuries, with five hospitalised. The airport said investigators had examined the fenceline where the individual entered and “found it to be intact”. It added that the struck individual “is not believed to be an employee of the airport”. “We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said. Both local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were investigating the incident. The Frontier Airlines flight had been bound for Los Angeles International Airport. Airport safety in the US came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year amid a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which temporarily left both Transportation Security Agents (TSA) and air traffic controllers working without pay. While instances of people being killed on airport tarmacs are rare, Friday’s incident came a day after a Delta employee was killed after an airport vehicle struck an airbridge at Orlando International Airport. Advertisement In March, two pilots were killed after an Air Canada Express plane crashed into a fire-rescue vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York. About 225,000 people travel through Denver International Airport a day. Adblock test (Why?)

Palestinians run West Bank freedom marathon along separation wall

Palestinians run West Bank freedom marathon along separation wall

In the occupied West Bank, a marathon is a political statement. Palestinians ran alongside the separation wall today, a structure that cuts them off from their land, their families, and even the sea. Al Jazeera’s @leila.shw reports from Bethlehem. Published On 9 May 20269 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)