By the International Workers’ Unity–Fourth International
9 May 2026. The IWU-FI welcomes the announcement of the release this Saturday, May 9, of Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila by the Zionist state of Israel and the Palestinian legal team Abdallah, and confirmed by the Spanish government.
The release of Saif and Thiago is a victory for mobilisation, protest, and popular pressure worldwide for their freedom and for the Palestinian cause. The Sumud Global Flotilla was attempting a heroic voyage to break the genocidal blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces seized the flotilla in international waters, over 1,000 km from occupied Palestine. Israel had to release the 170 crew members, but Israel detained these two international leaders, who faced the risk of severe penalties. They were on a hunger strike, and now we have the result of their immediate release.
This marks another win for Palestinian resistance and its worldwide supporters. A win for condemning the genocide carried out by the Israeli apartheid state, backed by the US and the far-right Trump administration. This reinforces our commitment to mobilising for Palestinians in Gaza and. We back the flotilla’s ongoing efforts to break the blockade by both sea and land.
From the IWU-FI, we call for continued unified mobilisation to break the Israeli blockade and allow humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians, and to demand the release of the over 9,000 Palestinians imprisoned in the apartheid state. The upcoming event is the international mobilisation on 15 May for the Great March of Return. This event aims to continue the struggle against the genocide and criminal blockade of the Gaza Strip, advocate for the withdrawal of all troops from Gaza, and ensure the substantial entry of humanitarian aid. Israeli troops out of Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. We unconditionally support the Palestinian people’s resistance for the end of the Zionist apartheid state. We celebrate the release of Thiago and Saif, and we must redouble our mobilisation for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.
International Workers’ Unity–Fourth International (IWU-FI)
9 May 2026
