A Spanish national detained after travelling on a vessel as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla was accused by Israel Police of biting a female medical staff member at Ketziot Prison on Sunday.
The staff member had been escorting the Spanish national, who is in her fifties, as part of a routine medical examination ahead of her planned deportation on Monday, when she was said to have bitten the worker. However, the Beersheba Magistrate's Court has extended the suspect's detention until Wednesday, at the police's request.
The medical worker was given treatment on-site for the minor injuries caused by the bite, and Israel Police were called to handle the attacker. It is currently unknown if legal action will be pursued.
About the flotilla
Israel faced international condemnation after armed Israeli soldiers boarded around 40 ships that were attempting to break a naval blockade to deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave, arresting more than 400 foreign activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The Global Sumud Flotilla claimed to be delivering aid to the Gaza Strip, after refusing offers from both the Pope and Israel to deliver the aid, but Israel reportedly found the vessels empty of any humanitarian support.
Israel also provided documentation which linked the flotilla group with the Hamas terror group.
One document released last week, a letter from 2021 signed by former Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh, explicitly endorses the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an organization founded in 2018 and operating under civilian cover. Israel has designated the PCPA as a terror organization.
The ministry noted that the PCPA functions as Hamas’s representative abroad, often acting as the movement’s embassies while mobilizing anti-Israel demonstrations, violent protests, and other provocations. The group was designated a terrorist organization by Israel in 2021.
The second document contains a detailed list of PCPA activists, including senior Hamas figures directly involved in the flotilla operations. Among the names highlighted by the IDF is Zaher Birawi, the head of the PCPA’s Hamas sector in Britain, who has reportedly led Gaza-bound protest flotillas for more than 15 years.
Also listed is Saif Abu Kishk, a PCPA operative in Spain, who doubles as CEO of the Spanish cyber company Cyber Neptune, which owns multiple ships participating in the current Samud flotilla.
“Hamas in the Gaza Strip is responsible for activities within the Strip, while Hamas abroad manages operations outside, including mobilization and provocations,” the Foreign Ministry said. “These documents expose the depth of Hamas’ international network and its operational control over individuals leading the flotilla.”
Reuters contributed to this report.