Brazilian activist Thiago Avila returned to Sao Paulo on Monday after being detained and subsequently deported from Israel, saying he had been tortured and had observed mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners while held in custody for 10 days.
Avila and Spanish national Abu Keshek were participants in the second Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out from Spain on April 12 with the stated aim of attempting to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza to deliver aid. Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla; Avila and Abu Keshek were taken to Israel while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists from the same mission were transported to Crete.
The two men were held on suspicion of offenses that included aiding the enemy and contact with a terrorist group. Both men denied those allegations. Authorities released them on Saturday and handed them over to immigration officials for deportation.
At Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, Avila told reporters: "My return was simply a correction of a serious violation. I was kidnapped by Israel, I wasn’t imprisoned," and he said that he and Abu Keshek endured "all kinds of violations" while detained. Avila also asserted that Palestinian prisoners in nearby cells suffered even worse treatment.
Israel dismissed claims raised by human rights group Adalah, which represented the two men in a court hearing in Israel, that Avila and Abu Keshek had been tortured in custody. Israeli authorities said the measures taken during detention complied with the law.
The governments of Spain and Brazil have characterized the detention as unlawful.
Addressing supporters at his return, Avila added: "We need to defeat (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu and (U.S. President) Donald Trump, we need to defeat the war criminals," as those gathered held signs calling on Brazil to sever diplomatic ties with Israel.
The article notes that Gaza is largely administered by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West. It also states that the group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war, resulting in extensive displacement within the enclave and leaving a large portion of the population homeless and reliant on aid. The piece reports that humanitarian agencies say aid is arriving too slowly.
The case highlights competing narratives: the activists' accounts of mistreatment while detained and the Israeli government's rejection of torture claims and insistence that detention procedures were lawful. Spain and Brazil's statements that the detention was unlawful point to diplomatic friction arising from the incident.