ASHKELON: An Israeli court on Tuesday extended the detention of two foreign activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla by six days.

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon for their second hearing, after being brought to Israel for questioning last week.

The extension is to allow police more time to interrogate them, the pair`s lawyer said.

The two, held in a prison in Ashkelon, were among dozens of activists aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece early on Thursday.

Representatives for Avila and Abu Keshek have accused Israeli authorities of abusing the twomen, who have been on hunger strike for the past six days.

At a previous hearing on Sunday, the court extended their detention by two days.

During Tuesday`s hearing, both men appeared in the courtroom with their legs shackled, an AFP journalist reported.

`The court granted a second extension... a six-day extension, which means the next hearing will be on Sunday,` said Hadeel Abu Salih, a lawyer with Israeli rights group Adalah, which represents the activists.-AFP