The United Nations has called on Israel to immediately and unconditionally release two activists from a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, amid “disturbing accounts of severe mistreatment” while in Israeli custody.

Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said on Wednesday that Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago de Avila continue to be held without charge after being seized by Israeli forces on April 30 when the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted in international waters off Greece.

“It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it,” al-Kheetan stated. He called for an investigation into allegations of torture and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

An Israeli court on Tuesday extended the activists’ detention until May 10. They are on hunger strike, drinking only water, since their abduction. According to Adalah, the Israeli rights group representing them, they face accusations of affiliation with a “terrorist organization” and contact with foreign agents, though no formal charges have been filed.

The flotilla announced that Avila’s mother, Teresa Regina de Avila e Silva, died in Brasília at age 63. She was described as “a woman of remarkable joy and great strength.”

The UN also reiterated calls for an end to Israel’s arbitrary detention practices and the blockade on Gaza, demanding sufficient humanitarian access to the enclave.

Source: www.aljazeera.com