Brazilian in Flotilha prepares new mission: ‘Israel was hell on Earth’

If This drone would play a bomb, we had only three seconds to be in the water and have a greater chance of survival. Therefore, the people went to the side of the boat, passed outside the grid and if they prepared. Thiago Ávila

On June 8, Israel sent speedboats and boats to surround them. ” Drones began to come on the same boat. They were drones with lights, with audio, that played chemical elements. They were already intercepting our communication, the navigation system, to the point that we were guiding for the stars, ” he recalls.

They had rifles pointed at us, with a very strong light, with a megaphone and trying to take control of the boat. It was a very violent interception. Thiago Avila

According to the activist, he, Greta Thunberg and the other ten were taken in the boat to the port of Ashdod. In land, Thiago reports that they were coerced to sign a document that alleged illegal entry into Israel and deportation as a consequence. The group refused to sign: ” We never intended to go to Israel, but to Palestine. We were kidnapped on a humanitarian mission ”.

Activists decided to accept the deportation of four of them, he says. According to him, the idea was that the deported ones could return home and report to the public what was going on. Greta was one of the chosen to return due to her media visibility, although she expressed her desire to stay.

Rats, insects and screams in prison

The six men of the group were placed in separate cells and the two women together. ” There had access to the sunlight there, they offered food to people. I refused to eat, I was on hunger and thirst strike, but the other people ate and had no complaint about the food. But the water was the sink water, in a color, in a taste and a strange smell, ‘he said.