Israeli forces beat Brazilian activist Thiago Avila unconscious, threatened to kill him and subjected activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla to torture and abuse after intercepting the Gaza-bound aid mission in international waters last month, Avila told The New Arab in an exclusive interview.
The allegations come as international outrage continues to grow over Israel's treatment of activists detained during another Global Sumud Flotilla interception earlier this week, when Israeli forces seized more than 50 vessels and detained hundreds of activists near Cyprus.
That latest interception sparked diplomatic backlash after far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released footage showing activists kneeling with their hands zip-tied behind their backs while he taunted them in detention.
Avila, one of the most prominent international voices advocating for Gaza and the Palestinian cause , was released by Israel on 10 May after spending around 10 days in Ashkelon prison following the interception of the flotilla near the Greek island of Crete.
"Palestine will be free" and "Our generation is the one that will bury Zionism and imperialism", supporters chanted as he returned to São Paulo airport following his release.
The Brazilian activist had been abducted alongside his Palestinian-Spanish colleague Saif Abu Kashk while taking part in the Gaza-bound flotilla, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver aid to the besieged enclave.
The 30-year-old described his detention as part of a broader struggle against what he called systemic and historical injustice imposed on the Global South.
It was the second time Avila had been detained by Israel after he was held for four days last year while participating in another flotilla mission that included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard one of the vessels.
An environmental activist, supporter of Cuba and advocate for anti-colonial movements globally, Avila has become a major social media voice campaigning for Palestine and challenging Israeli narratives online.
During his detention, he was also unable to bid farewell to his mother , who died while he was imprisoned following as a "mock trial" after the seizure of the flotilla.
He later travelled to Istanbul to follow developments surrounding the latest flotilla interception and the deportation of activists detained by Israeli forces.
Avila stressed that what he endured was only a fraction of the suffering routinely experienced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
He also said the injustice represented by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nearing its end.
Recalling the interception of the flotilla, Avila said Israeli forces stopped 22 vessels in international waters on the night of 22 April near Crete.
Activists were then detained for several days aboard a "floating military prison", where they were subjected to repeated violence and abuse.
"They were committing many violations. They would put ropes around my neck and beat me until I lost consciousness," Avila said.
"They dragged me on the ground even when I was not conscious, and they kept beating me until I fainted. They threw me down and blindfolded me most of the time. They threatened to throw me off the military vessel," he said.
"They sprayed me with water because it was cold at night, to make me feel colder. They did many things," he added.
Avila said that after days at sea, Israeli forces left 179 activists in Crete before abducting him and Abu Kashk to "occupied Palestine", where they were transferred to Ashkelon prison and the Shin Bet interrogation facility.
Avila said Israeli authorities used the detention to take revenge on activists and repeatedly threatened to kill him.
Israel's treatment of Gaza flotillas has become systematic over recent years amid international legal and political paralysis over humanitarian maritime missions.
He insisted such flotillas would continue because they expose Israel’s blockade on Gaza as a policy of starvation and forced displacement imposed in violation of international law.
Avila said he spent 10 days in solitary confinement without seeing fellow detainees, though he could hear screams from nearby cells as Palestinian prisoners were subjected to what he described as "torture, assaults and violations".
"I was interrogated almost all day and all night by intelligence officers, police, and others who did not reveal their identities," he said.
"They brought five so-called charges against me, which they invented in reality. They told me that if they were combined, they could amount to 100 years in prison, but that they would kill me before that anyway and that I would never see anyone again," he added.
The activist said the most devastating moment came after his release, when he learned that his mother had died while he was imprisoned.
"I did not even know that," he said.
"They kept insisting on asking many questions about my mother and saying I would not see her again. But they threatened me every day, so I did not understand well. Only when I came out did I understand."
Despite his own ordeal, Avila repeatedly stressed that Palestinian prisoners suffer far worse treatment every day.
"But yes, we suffered many violations, but the real violations, the most important ones, were what my Palestinian neighbours in the solitary confinement cells were suffering," he said.
"They were treated in the worst way. Nothing we experienced can be compared to what they suffer every day, even my experience of not seeing my mother and not being able to honour her at her burial."
He specifically referenced detained Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, saying Palestinians routinely endure prolonged imprisonment and torture.
"This is something Palestinians go through every day. Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, who remained in prison and was tortured for more than 500 days, went through the same thing," he said.
Avila said the flotilla missions were ultimately about solidarity with Gaza rather than the activists themselves.
"Yes, we were subjected to severe violations, but Palestinians are going through much worse. Therefore, we must continue sailing and exposing this violence and hatred," he said.
Discussing the latest flotilla interception, Avila said nearly two decades of blockade had been met by years of attempts to break the siege through maritime missions.
He said around 30 flotilla missions and hundreds of vessels had attempted to reach Gaza over the years.
Referring to footage from the latest interception, he accused Israeli forces of carrying out "a major collision deliberately carried out against a peaceful humanitarian mission protected by international law".
"What they did is a war crime in some of its aspects," he said. "When they act at this level of violence and directly threaten lives, something no maritime law can allow, they must be exposed."
He added that within just 24 hours Israeli forces had intercepted around 50 vessels and unlawfully detained participants.
"We demand their immediate release and accountability for those who committed this crime," he said.
Addressing world leaders directly, Avila condemned Trump and Netanyahu as leaders of "two terrible regimes".
"You can inflict a lot of pain on us. But that is all you can do," he said."All you have is violence, hatred, explosives and weapons. We have everything else. "Your time is coming to an end, because the free peoples of the world understand the duty to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We will continue mobilising until absolute victory."