The family of freed Dundee campaigner Ali El-Awaisi hope to have him home by the end of the weekend.
Although the 21-year-old plans to fly into London on Sunday and then make his way home from there, Ali’s brother Dr Khalid El-Awaisi was keen to stress that nothing is set in stone.
He also revealed details of the ordeal Ali says he was subjected to as a prisoner in the Be’er Sheva prison in the Negev desert, after being taken prisoner by Israeli commandos when they stormed the aid flotilla.
Speaking about Ali’s plans to return home, Khalid (30) said, “It’s not yet confirmed Ali is still to be attending the funerals of those murdered.
“The initial plan is for Ali to fly to London on Sunday and then to a Scottish airport from there but he has not even booked his ticket yet, so it is all just speculation at the moment.”
Ali was on the Mavi Marmara, which was boarded by Israeli forces while sailing with aid for Gaza.
The crew were taken prisoner but Ali arrived safely into Turkey early on Thursday ending four days of worry for his family.
Khalid said, “He was talking more about the torture and interrogation and how the soldiers were picking on him.
“They asked why he had been to Syria (where Ali and Khalid’s father lives), said he was a terrorist and that he was working with a terrorist organisation.
“There were three or four beating him up, passing him from one to the other and playing bad cop/good cop.””It was torture”In a statement on Thursday Ali said, “I nearly died and people died in front of me we were beaten up.
“The journey on the ship from the time the Israelis intercepted until we got to the port was hell it was torture, our hands were tied and we were beaten up.
“They took everything away from us, they threw my phone in the water.”
He added, “I have many stories to tell and now I understand what people had suffered.”
He urged the UK Government to make sure the MV Rachel Corrie containing £30,000 of cargo from Dundee including cement, medicine and books gets through to Gaza and pledged more aid will follow.
Meanwhile, an early day motion lodged at the House of Commons by Dundee West MP Jim McGovern condemning the loss of life associated with the incident, backing an impartial inquiry and calling for Israel to lift its blockade into Gaza, has attracted support from members from almost every elected political party.
All Britons held after the deadly raid on the aid flotilla have been accounted for, the government has said.
Foreign secretary William Hague said 34 activists were on board the boats not 37 as previously thought all but two of whom had been sent to Turkey from where the convoy departed.