Greta Thunberg accuses Israel of "kidnapping" her in Gaza aid boat seizure
Greta Thunberg
on Tuesday accused Israeli forces of forcibly detaining her and a group of fellow
pro-Palestinian activists
in international waters. The Swedish climate campaigner said she refused to sign a document stating she had entered Israel illegally, following her deportation.
'I was very clear in my testimony that we were kidnapped on international waters and brought against our own will into Israel,' Thunberg said at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport after her return from Israel.
The 22-year-old was one of 12 individuals on board the Madleen, a British-flagged aid vessel operated by the
Freedom Flotilla Coalition
(FFC), when it was seized by the
Israeli navy
on Monday morning. The group had set out to deliver symbolic humanitarian supplies—rice and baby formula—to Gaza and draw international attention to the ongoing blockade and humanitarian crisis.
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Israeli authorities dismiss claims, detain and deport passengers
Israel's foreign ministry confirmed that the intercepted vessel had docked at
Ashdod port
by Monday evening. The passengers, who came from Sweden, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey, were taken into custody, underwent medical checks, and were slated for deportation via Ben-Gurion airport.
'All the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over,' Israel's foreign ministry posted on social media.
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The ministry also released a video showing the activists wearing life jackets and seated calmly while being served refreshments. Thunberg was visible near the front.
Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, accused Thunberg and the rest of the group of turning a blind eye to Hamas atrocities. He said the detained activists were shown a screening of footage from the 7 October
Hamas attack
: 'When they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching.'
Katz added, 'They prefer to close their eyes to the truth.'
Freedom Flotilla calls it an illegal assault
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyage, said the boat had been 'unlawfully boarded' in international waters. The group claimed that quadcopters sprayed the deck with a white substance, communications were jammed, and disruptive noises were broadcast over the radio.
A livestream from the boat showed activist Yasemin Acar displaying a chalky substance and saying it was affecting her eyes. Another video posted later showed passengers with their hands raised in a gesture of non-resistance.
In a pre-recorded message released once contact was lost, 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.'
The Freedom Flotilla said their intent was peaceful and their goal was to spotlight the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, which is facing severe shortages due to an 11-week total blockade following more than 600 days of conflict.
Trump renews feud with Thunberg
US President Donald Trump weighed in, mocking Thunberg's claim of kidnapping. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said.
Reviving his long-standing feud with the Swedish activist, Trump added, 'She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger; it's hard to believe, actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an angry management class. That's my primary recommendation for her.'
When asked at the Paris airport about Trump's remarks, Thunberg responded dryly: 'I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now.'
Symbolic aid mission or "selfie stunt"?
Israel's foreign ministry labelled the Madleen a 'selfie yacht', implying that the voyage was more about publicity than aid. But Thunberg rejected that characterisation. She recalled a previous flotilla attempt using a larger ship that was bombed, suggesting the reduced scale of this mission was a security compromise, not a stunt.
'This is not a PR move,' she insisted. 'The mission is to deliver aid and to make people aware of what's going on.'
The passengers included Rima Hassan, a French Member of the European Parliament, and Omar Faiad, a French journalist working with Al Jazeera.
What's next for the activists?
Following their release, the deported individuals are expected to return to their respective countries. Thunberg, when asked about her next steps, said she needed 'a shower and sleep' and was unsure whether she would return to Sweden or continue elsewhere.
The incident has stirred fresh debate over Israel's enforcement of its
naval blockade
and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It has also once again placed Thunberg in the international spotlight—not for her climate activism, but for her outspoken political stance in one of the world's most polarised conflicts.
The FFC continues to call for the immediate release of any activists still in Israeli custody and maintains that their actions were legal, moral, and urgent.
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