Israel deports Greta Thunberg after aid ship blocked

Greta Thunberg, along with nearly a dozen other activists, was deported from Israel after their sailboat, attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, was intercepted by the Israeli military.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed her departure on Tuesday, stating:

“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the ministry posted on X, accompanied by a photo of the 22-year-old boarding the plane.

Earlier in the day, the ministry had announced that Thunberg and several other passengers from the intercepted boat had arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to return to their home countries.

According to local media, three other activists were also scheduled to leave Israel. However, eight others remained in custody after refusing to sign deportation documents, according to a report by Israeli news outlet ynet.

Among those still detained is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. The report added that the eight will remain in a detention centre near the airport until they agree to sign the documents—or until 96 hours have passed since their initial detention.

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel has prohibited all the activists from officially entering Israel.

The group had set sail from Sicily aboard the Madleen, a vessel organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Their aim was to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and pressure Israel to end its military campaign.

Gaza has faced severe shortages of food and aid after more than three months under an Israeli blockade, which has only recently begun to ease.

However, the Madleen was intercepted by Israeli forces early Monday under orders from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The FFC reported that the vessel was forcibly boarded in international waters, with the crew detained and the aid cargo seized.

FFC organizer Huwaida Arraf condemned the detentions as unlawful, stating that Israel had no jurisdiction over the volunteers in international waters.

In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a “provocation”, referring to the vessel as a “selfie yacht.” (Dpa/NAN)