Ali (21) was on the Mavi Marmara, which was boarded during the incident, but his arrival in Turkay ended four days of worry for his family.

From there he made an emotional telephone call to his brother Dr Khalid El-Awaisi (30) — who feared Ali had been killed or injured right up until yesterday — where he revealed how close to death he came.

“I nearly died and people died in front of me; we were beaten up,” Ali claimed. “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.”

However, Ali said he is now even more determined and resolved to continue his mission of getting aid into Gaza.

He urged the UK government to make sure all the cargo, containing cement, medicine and books, gets through to the region and demanded Israel is not allowed to attack the ship.

Khalid and close friend Bilal Rafiq were glued to the television overnight and watched live footage as Ali emerged from his plane in Istanbul and the pair were overjoyed when Ali called moments later.

Khalid said, “He told me the Israelis, tortured him, he said he nearly died inside, he saw people die beside him.”

He added, “We are very thankful to the Turkish government for providing the transport and forcing Israel to release all hostages, but it should have been the British government that did this to its own citizens.”

Meanwhile, one of the men crucial to collecting relief in Dundee, Faisal Hussein (29), manager of the Yusuf Youth Initiative based on Mitchell Street, said campaigners will “not stop” until £30,000 of aid from the city, currently aboard the MV Rachel Corrie, is allowed free passage into Gaza.

The MV Rachel Corrie’s cargo includes 13 pallets containing medicine, clothes, toys and building materials donated in Tayside and is due to arrive in Gaza shortly.

Faisal said he was determined to get the goods through, be it by land or by sea, following Egypt’s decision to temporarily ease its road blockade and allow aid into Gaza.