Israel deports Greta Thunberg after Gaza aid ship blocked
TEL AVIV, Israel - Greta Thunberg, who attempted to deliver aid to Gaza by sea along with other nearly a dozen other activists, was deported from Israel after their sailboat was intercepted by the military, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France)," the ministry posted on X, along with a picture of the 22-year-old boarding the plane.
The ministry had announced hours earlier that Thunberg and other passengers of the boat had arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to return to their home countries.
Three others are also due to leave Israel, local media reported.
But eight other activists are to remain in custody for the time being because they refused to sign the necessary deportation documents, the Israeli news portal ynet reported. Among them is Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
According to the report, the eight are to remain in a detention centre near the airport until they sign a deportation form or until a maximum of 96 hours have passed since they were taken into custody.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel has prohibited the activists from officially entering Israel.
The Madleen, from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail from Sicily a week ago carrying aid for Palestinians and hoping to add pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza, where food and aid are scarce due to a three-month Israeli blockade that was only recently eased.
However, they were intercepted by Israeli forces early on Monday after an order from Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The FFC said in a statement on Monday the Madleen was forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters, its crew detained and aid cargo seized.
FFC organizer Huwaida Arraf called the detentions unlawful, saying Israel had no jurisdiction over the volunteers. Israel's Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a "provocation" and referred to the Madleen as a "selfie yacht."
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