Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, a day after Israeli naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying pro-Palestinian activists attempting to breach the long-standing blockade on the besieged coastal strip.
In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Thunberg, 22, was placed on a flight to France from where she was expected to travel back to Sweden. Three other foreign nationals who had been aboard the yacht voluntarily accepted immediate deportation, the ministry added.
However, eight other crew members — whose nationalities have not been disclosed — are contesting the deportation orders. Israeli rights group Adalah, which is advising the detainees, confirmed that the activists are currently being held in a detention facility and are awaiting a court hearing. The date of the hearing has yet to be confirmed.
The British-flagged yacht, carrying humanitarian supplies including rice and baby formula, was seized early Monday as it approached Gaza’s territorial waters. Israeli naval forces boarded the vessel before escorting it to the southern port of Ashdod. The 12-member crew was later transferred to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
The activists said the mission was aimed at delivering aid and drawing international attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations since the October 7 attack by Hamas-led militants. Israel maintains that its blockade, imposed since 2007, is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.
Responding to the incident, the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the voyage as a "pro-Hamas publicity stunt", stating: “The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”
In a pre-recorded video filmed aboard the yacht, Thunberg accused Israeli forces of “kidnapping” her and fellow crew members in international waters if they were intercepted. The footage was released by the campaign organisers shortly after the boat was seized.
The incident attracted international attention, further amplified by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who mocked Thunberg’s participation. “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” he said during a press appearance. “She’s a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class.”
Thunberg, who has long refused to fly due to the aviation industry's carbon emissions, was seen in an image released by Israeli authorities sitting onboard a commercial plane bound for Paris — an apparent departure from her environmental stance.
Israel has tightened its blockade of Gaza since March, effectively cutting off all land and sea access. The UN and humanitarian organisations have warned of famine-like conditions affecting Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. In recent weeks, Israel has allowed limited aid into the enclave via a newly-formed, Israeli-backed distribution network — a move it claims is intended to ensure aid does not fall into Hamas’ hands.
