Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel, a day after the aid vessel she was aboard — headed toward Gaza in defiance of Israel’s maritime blockade — was intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group behind the voyage, said the small yacht The Madleen was intercepted early Monday while carrying what it called a “symbolic” quantity of humanitarian aid, including baby formula and medicine, in an attempt to draw global attention to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Thunberg and 11 others were on board the vessel, which the FFC said was intercepted in international waters, about 185 km (115 miles) west of Gaza. According to the group, the yacht was surrounded by quadcopter drones, sprayed with a white irritant substance, and had its communications jammed before being boarded.
In a pre-recorded video released after the interception, Thunberg said:
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that Thunberg had left Israel on a flight to Sweden via France, after agreeing to be deported. A photo shared by the ministry showed her sitting on a plane.
Other passengers aboard the Madleen included nationals from France, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey. According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, six French citizens were among the detainees. One agreed to leave voluntarily, but five refused to sign deportation orders and are now facing judicial proceedings in Israel.
The French nationals include MEP Rima Hassan and two journalists: Omar Faiad from Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi from French investigative platform Blast. Reporters Without Borders confirmed both were documenting the voyage.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a “gimmick” and described the Madleen as a “selfie yacht.” It insisted that the Gaza blockade is legal under international law and said the intercepted aid would be delivered “through real humanitarian channels.”
“We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers and the return of the stolen aid,” the FFC said in a statement. “Their kidnapping is unlawful and a violation of international law.”
Video footage released by the FFC showed the activists seated with their hands raised as Israeli forces boarded. Israel, for its part, shared footage showing the detainees being handed food and water, insisting all were “safe and unharmed.”
The yacht set sail from Catania, Italy, on 1 June, with the FFC stating its mission was to deliver aid and bear witness to what it called Israel’s “illegal and genocidal blockade” of Gaza.
Israel, which has imposed a strict land, sea, and air blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007, maintains that the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated that stance on Sunday, saying the naval blockade helps stop arms from reaching Hamas.
Israel fully halted aid and commercial deliveries to Gaza on 2 March, resuming its military campaign two weeks later after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire.
As legal proceedings unfold for some of the activists, the incident has once again stirred debate about Israel’s blockade, humanitarian access to Gaza, and the international response to ongoing hostilities in the region.
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