“The families of Gaza are no less important than my family,” said Brazilian communicator and activist Thiago Ávila. “It’s by mere chance that we are not one of those families that are in Gaza right now.” The organiser of the Handala Freedom Flotilla made his speech as the flotilla set off for the Gaza Strip.
Ávila joined a number of activists from several countries on the converted trawler, the brightly coloured Handala. As well as a number of Palestinians, activists from Australia, Italy, France, Norway, the Netherlands and Brazil´s Ávila were on the former fishing vessel.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition has made several calls in ports around the Mediterranean. The urgent mission is to break the illegal siege that Israel has imposed on the people of Gaza for 17 years and open a humanitarian corridor to deliver much-needed aid.
Due to a serious mechanical problem, the Handala is in Malta undergoing repairs. “The mission is on an unscheduled, temporary stop to fix some of the technical problems with our Old Lady Handala, but as soon as they are fixed we will continue our journey for the children of Gaza,” Ávila told me. “We will sail until Palestine is free.”
When I called him last week, Ávila was full of enthusiasm and passion on the boat, dreaming of the minute that he would reach Gaza despite the Israeli war against the Palestinians there.
For him and the other activists, the Handala is a small boat, but it carries the weight of a global uprising for justice.
“That’s why the world must not turn away. Keep your eyes on Handala. Share our mission, amplify Palestinian voices, and do everything you can to stand for Gaza. The flood of change is coming. Be part of it.”
He noted that they have visited 20 ports and are heading for Gaza with over 14 nationalities and a lot of hope and solidarity. “As a catastrophic famine unfolds across Gaza, evidence of heinous sexual and physical violence by the Israeli forces continues to emerge, and the Israeli and US-backed genocide carries on with impunity, people power remains as integral to the cause as ever. It really is up to us to shape a new world.”
With over 270,000 followers on Instagram, Thiago Ávila has dedicated his life for the past 19 years to a “society of good living” wherein there is social and economic justice and a way of life in balance with the environment. In recent weeks, he has been dedicating his time and effort to raising public awareness about the cause of the liberation of Palestine and calling for an end to the US-backed Israeli genocide.
He has left his 7-month-old baby girl at home in his effort to save the children of Gaza. “The day I left home, my eyes were filled with tears just thinking that I wouldn’t be with Teresa to watch her grow at this early stage of her life. It overwhelms me every time I have to be away to fulfil our collective mission of ensuring that all children in the world one day have the same dream life that she has. It is out of solidarity with every mother and father in Gaza, who love their children as much as I love mine, that I accepted this mission.”
He is very aware that many of the 16,000 children in Gaza who have been murdered by Israeli bombs and bullets were very young like his daughter Teresa.
“So young that they were completely unaware of what was happening. They did not know what Zionism or imperialism was. They did not know what racism, supremacism, settler-colonisation, apartheid, genocide or ethnic cleansing were. They were victims of these things without even understanding why.”
Ávila believes that going to Gaza is a duty, despite the risks, and knowing that they may face the same fate as the Mavi Marmara in 2010. Israeli commandos attacked and hijacked the ship in international waters in an act of common piracy. They killed nine activists on board, and took the ship and the other 700 passengers on board into custody in the occupation state. A tenth activist died of his wounds later.
Despite the risks, flotillas continue to try to break the siege. Each voyage is a testament to the resilience and unwavering spirit of those who believe in justice and freedom for Gaza. “It is necessary to have people taking the lead, in the vanguard and assuming this risk-taking role in the knowledge that the ultimate benefit is for all humanity in general,” explained Ávila.
In his videos about the mission to Gaza, he pointed out that he has received death threats for taking a stand against Zionism, but he has ignored them and is heading for Gaza regardless. Even though the Handala is stuck in Malta for repairs, he has not given up hope.
“The Freedom Flotilla is like a fleet of hope and a dream of brave activists from around the world united with one mission: to deliver humanitarian aid and bring global attention to the Palestinians and their cause,” he concluded.
READ: Gaza: more Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli air strikes
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