Spain’s National Court has opened an investigation into senior Israeli military officials over the alleged illegal detention of activists during the interception of the Global Sumud aid flotilla, according to El País.
Judge Francisco de Jorge accepted complaints filed by the Communist Party of Spain, United Left Federal and several activists against Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Israeli Navy Commander Ram Rothberg.
The case relates to the interception of the humanitarian flotilla on October 1, when Israeli forces boarded several vessels carrying aid to Gaza. The investigation is limited to incidents involving ships sailing under the Spanish flag.
According to the court, Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters, around 70 nautical miles off the coast, forcibly took control of the ships, damaged property and unlawfully detained crew members, including dozens of Spanish citizens.
The complaints also allege that those detained were later transferred to Ketziot Prison in Israel, where they were subjected to torture and denied effective legal and diplomatic assistance.
Judge de Jorge has also asked the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to clarify whether the alleged illegal detentions fall within its ongoing investigations into alleged Israeli genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian territories, or whether the Spanish proceedings could overlap with those inquiries.