Protesters march during a rally in support of the Freedom Flotilla in front of the Colosseum in Rome. AFP
The probe focuses on Spanish activist Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who remain in Israeli custody after being detained aboard a ship operated by the Global Sumud Flotilla, an initiative seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the strip.
An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the extension of their detention for a further two days, the report added.
The vessel, which was flying the Italian flag, was intercepted near the Greek island of Crete, hundreds of kilometres from Gaza, raising questions over Israel’s legal authority to enforce its blockade so far from the territory’s coastline.
Under maritime law, Italian prosecutors could claim jurisdiction on the basis that the vessel constituted Italian territory.
Legal experts and rights groups have increasingly asserted that the blockade itself violates international law, describing it as a form of collective punishment imposed on Gaza’s civilian population.
Around 175 activists of various nationalities were detained on Thursday aboard roughly 20 vessels forming part of the flotilla, according to its organizers.
Several countries and international actors condemned the interception, describing it as "illegal, piracy, and a violation of freedom of navigation in international waters.”
Israel has maintained a land, air, and sea blockade on Gaza for years, tightening restrictions further during its ongoing war on the territory.
Humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations, have repeatedly warned that Israel's blockade has pushed the territory toward famine, with widespread shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Rome’s prosecutor had previously opened a similar investigation in October following an earlier interception of a humanitarian flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.
The latest incident marks the second attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to reach the besieged Gaza Strip. In 2025, during its first voyage, hundreds of activists -- including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French MP Rima Hassan -- were detained at sea, transferred to Israel and later deported.
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