Israeli authorities taking 2 activists who led a Gaza-bound flotilla to Israel for questioning

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Israeli authorities say they are taking two activists who led an aid flotilla bound for Gaza — and who were captured by Israel in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea — to Israel for questioning.

The activists, Palestinian-Spanish citizen Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila, were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. They are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla's steering committee, whose mission was to break Israel's naval blockade and bring some humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

In all, some 20 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those onboard. The incident occurred hundreds of miles (kilometers) from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

Israeli officials said they needed to take early action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters because of the high number of boats involved.

On Friday the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that it was taking the two activists to Israel for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity," without providing evidence.

The Global Sumud Flotilla appealed for international support. “We demand that all governments do all they can to pressure the Israeli regime to release all the illegal abductees," the group said Friday.

Spain's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday the Spanish government condemned the detention of Abukeshek, and demanded "his immediate release.”

“The Spanish embassies and consulates in Greece and Israel are mobilized to provide full protection to the Spanish citizen as soon as he arrives in Israeli territory, as well as to all other affected Spaniards,” the Spanish foreign ministry's statement added.

The rest of the flotilla participants of various nationalities were released in Crete. Organizers on Friday said Israeli authorities had denied them food and water and they were "forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded.”

When Israeli forces proceeded to take Abukeshek and Ávila away, the group resisted and were met with “sheer violence,” flotilla organizers said in a statement Friday.

“Participants were punched, kicked and dragged across the deck with their hands bound behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them in the chaos,” the statement said.

Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to the accusations. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had said Thursday that activists “taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed.”

Of the 53 vessels that had been sailing prior to the interception, 31 reached safe waters and would continue their attempts to “break the illegal siege of Gaza,” organizers said.

The flotilla set sail earlier this month from Barcelona, Spain. Organizers have said more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world would be participating, with more vessels joining the original boats as the flotilla sailed east across the Mediterranean.

The Greek foreign ministry said Thursday that it had asked Israel to withdraw its ships from the area and had offered its “good services” for the activists to disembark in Greece and be repatriated.

Protests in solidarity with the flotilla erupted across several capitals including in Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

Brazil has not yet commented on the detention and transfer to Israel of its citizen, Ávila, but in a joint statement with Spain and several other nations late Thursday it said that Israel's interception of the flotilla and detention of the activists in international waters “constitute flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law."

The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group. That attempt involved about 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, including Ávila, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them while in detention. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

Demonstrators wave a giant Palestinian flag outside Greece's Foreign Ministry in Athens, Thursday, April 30, 2026, during a rally to protest the interception of Gaza aid ships by Israeli forces near Greek waters. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

People march during a rally to protest against the interception of the Gaza aid ships "Global Sumud Flotilla" by Israeli forces near Greek waters, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Boats carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza reposition in the port during a symbolic send-off as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

People stage a protest after activists attempting to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza say Israeli forces have intercepted their "Global Sumud Flotilla" near the southern Greek island of Crete, in Rome, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

This grab from black and white CCTV footage shows members on flotilla boat with hands in air as Israeli forces intercepted activists who set sail earlier this month from Barcelona attempting to break Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza, near the southern Greek island of Crete, early Thursday, April 30, 2026. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s World Cup roster could owe more than a little bit to its northern neighbor.

The country has already had Mexican-American players on previous World Cup squads, but as many as four who were born and developed in the United States could be suiting up for El Tri in 2026.

“It would be a tremendous impact for the Mexican Americans for me to play in the World Cup,” said midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, who was born in Berwyn, Illinois, and was selected for the World Cup roster Tuesday. "It would be really exciting.”

Gutierrez could be joined on the Mexican squad by Chivas teammate Richy Ledezma, a midfielder and right back born in Phoenix, as well as Obed Vargas, a midfielder from Anchorage, Alaska, and right back Julián Araujo, a native of Lompoc, California.

Coach Javier Aguirre released a partial World Cup roster this week composed exclusively of players from Liga MX. Although Ledezma wasn’t included, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be on the 26-man roster Aguirre announces on June 1. Mexico plays its tournament opener against South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City.

Vargas, who plays for Atlético Madrid, and Araujo, who plays for Glasgow Celtic, will have to wait alongside Ledezma. Araujo has been training in Mexico's facility alone this week even though his place is not assured.

“I am Mexican, I feel the flag, the country and coming to Guadalajara was amazing,” Ledezma said. ”It is an honor, a dream of mine to play in the World Cup in the country where my parents were born.”

Gutiérrez played two games for the U.S. national team and Ledezma and Araujo one each before switching affiliation, and all four appeared for the American Under-23 and Under-20 teams. The quartet found themselves far back on the American depth chart.

Araujo made his Mexico debut in 2021, becoming the third player to appear for the U.S. and Mexican senior teams after Martín Vásquez and Edgar Castillo. Vargas debuted in 2024, and Ledezma and Gutiérrez this past January.

Mexico has never had more than two Mexican Americans suit up for a World Cup.

Two California natives, Isaac “Conejito” Brizuela and Miguel “Pocho” Ponce, represented Mexico in the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Brizuela was born in San Jose, California, moved to Mexico when he was 2 and is now contemplating retirement after playing 16 years in the Mexican League.

Ponce, who was born in Sacramento, California, also returned to Mexico when he was a child after his mother was deported. She had worked as a housemaid in Sacramento.

"I don’t remember it because I was very young, but my mother told me about the deportation. It was a difficult time because my father stayed behind and we returned to Mexico, although years later we reunited,” said Ponce, who helped Mexico win the 2012 Olympic men's soccer gold medal.

Gutiérrez, 22, played for the U.S. in January 2025 friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica.

The 25-year-old Ledezma played for the U.S. at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and had one appearance with the senior squad in a friendly against Panama on Nov. 16, 2020. His career was slowed by a torn right ACL suffered with PSV Eindhoven in December 2020.

Araujo appeared for the U.S. in a December 2020 friendly against El Salvador.

Ledezma joined Chivas last summer from PSV and Gutierrez this year from the Chicago Fire.

"After the MLS season I was looking for another opportunity and Chivas came up. It was a dream come true,” Gutierrez told The Associated Press. “It was a no-brainer; it was bound to happen and I am glad that it happened now.”

Playing under the Chivas spotlight helped both players reach the Mexican national team quickly, but both had already been contacted by Andrés Lillini, who oversees Mexico’s youth teams.

The same was true for Vargas, while Araujo had already been called up in 2021 when Argentine Gerardo Martino coached Mexico.

“Scouting is the foundation of any development process, that’s why I came to the national team,” said Lillini, who worked as a scout for CSKA Moscow. “Every eligible Mexican player with the necessary skill level should be here, and we decided to begin with the United States.”

As part of Lillini’s and the Mexican Federation’s plan, the presence of Mexican American players could increase in the future. In the last call-up for the Under-16 national team, six players born in the U.S. were selected.

And although Lillini initially focused on the northern neighbor, he has also extended recruitment to children of Mexican parents living in Europe. He said he already has contacted 30 players abroad.

“All the federations in the world do it, we had to do it, too,” Lillini said.

Some fans and analysts believe the Mexican national team should consist only of Mexican-born players.

When Ponce and Brizuela played in the World Cup, there was no controversy because both were substitutes, and Brizuela’s nationality was only revealed after the tournament.

In other sports, such as baseball, having players of Mexican descent on national teams is commonplace. In the last World Baseball Classic, 10 of the 30 players on the Mexican squad were born in the U.S.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE _ Mexico's Julian Araujo (2) plays the ball during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti Thursday, June 29, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)

FILE - Mexico's Obed Vargas, right, and Morocco's Mohamed Hamony battle for the ball during a FIFA U-20 World Cup Group C soccer match at Elias Figueroa Brander Stadium in Valparaiso, Chile, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

Richard Ledezma gives an interview, Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)

FILE - Mexico's Richard Ledezma, left, heads the ball in front of Iceland's Helgi Gudjonsson during an international friendly soccer match in Queretaro, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)