Greta Thunberg has been placed on a airplane and deported to France after her try and sail to Gaza and convey assist to Palestinians was unsuccessful.
The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to ship a symbolic quantity of assist to Gaza later and lift worldwide consciousness of the humanitarian disaster there.
Nevertheless, the boat was boarded through the evening earlier than it might attain shore, the FFC stated on its Telegram account. The Israeli Overseas Ministry later confirmed that it was below Israeli management.
A 12-strong crew together with Swedish local weather campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, went in a vessel to publicly attempt to get assist to Palestine.
The yacht was stated to have been carrying a small cargo of humanitarian assist, together with rice and child components. The Overseas Ministry stated it could be taken to Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the navy on Sunday to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in assist of Hamas.
Known as the Freedom Flotilla, it was invaded by Israel navy earlier than it might make its solution to Gaza.
“The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli military in worldwide waters round 2am,” Ms Hassan posted on X.
English under
🔴 L’équipage de la Freedom Flotilla a été arrêté par l’armée israélienne en eaux internationales autour de deux heures du matin.
Des actions sont à venir, restez connectés.
🔴 The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli military in worldwide… pic.twitter.com/GSA2LFHjvb
— Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 9, 2025
Israeli Overseas Ministry confirmed it had intercepted the vessel, writing social media: “The tiny quantity of assist that was on the yacht and never consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will likely be transferred to Gaza via actual humanitarian channels,” it wrote.
In a press release, the FFC accused Israel of “forcibly intercepting” the Madleen and performing with “complete impunity”.
It says that at 3.02am CET, the ship was “unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew kidnapped, and its life-saving cargo—together with child components, meals and medical provides—confiscated.”
“Israel has no authorized authority to detain worldwide volunteers aboard the Madleen,” stated Huwaida Arraf, a Freedom Flotilla organiser.
“These volunteers aren’t topic to Israeli jurisdiction and can’t be criminalised for delivering assist or difficult an unlawful blockade—their detention is unfair, illegal, and should finish instantly.”
Israel continued saying “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its solution to the shores of Israel. The passengers are anticipated to return to their dwelling nations,” the ministry wrote on X.
What did Greta Thunberg say?
Thunberg stated she joined the Madleen crew to “problem Israel’s unlawful siege and escalating warfare crimes” in Gaza and spotlight the pressing want for humanitarian assist. She has rejected earlier Israeli accusations of anti-Semitism.
She has additionally stay blogged occasions on the ship, and posted movies on social media to point out the goings ones they occur.
In a video the Swedish-born local weather activist stated the group had been “intercepted and kidnapped in worldwide waters” by “forces that assist Israel”, including: “I urge all my pals, household and comrades to place strain on the Swedish authorities to launch me and the others as quickly as doable,” she stated within the video, saying they’d been “kidnapped”.
In addition to Greta Thunberg, activists on the boat included:
- Rima Hassan – Born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, now a member of the European Parliament
- Yasemin Acar – German activist born and raised to Kurdish dad and mom from Turkey
- Thiago Avila – Coordinator of Freedom Flotilla Brazil and a member of the Steering Committee of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition
- Yanis Mhamdi – Journalist and director at Blast, a French unbiased media outlet
- Omar Faiad – al-Jazeera’s Mubasher correspondent
- Sergio Toribio – from marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd
- French physician and activist Baptiste Andre
- Turkish activist Suayb Ordu
- Dutch engineering pupil Mark van Rennes
- French residents Reva Viard and Pascal Maurieras, who’ve participated in different Freedom Flotilla missions earlier than.
After the activists had been captured, they had been delivered to the Israeli port of Ashdod, and the group had been ordered to see a video of the October 7 assaults.
In response to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, the group of activists declined to observe the video.
Mr Katz stated in a press release: “Greta and her flotilla companions had been taken right into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the horror movie of the October 7 bloodbath, and once they noticed what it was about, they refused to proceed watching.”
He added: “The antisemitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the reality and have confirmed as soon as once more that they like the murderers to the murdered and proceed to disregard the atrocities dedicated by Hamas in opposition to Jewish and Israeli ladies, adults and youngsters.”
Uncensored proof of murders is proven within the 43-minute video, which is primarily composed of bodycam and telephone footage captured by Hamas terrorists.
Though it hasn’t been made public, Israel has confirmed it to journalists and at a number of diplomatic occasions in an try and refute denialist accounts of the tragedy.
Thunberg, two different activists, and a journalist had consented to be deported from Israel, in accordance with Adalah, the Israeli authorized rights organisation that represents the 12 Madleen passengers.
Adalah said that Israeli authorities had been planning to listen to the case of different activists who resisted deportation and had been being detained in custody.
Round one within the morning, the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which was in command of the yacht, declared that the group was “anticipated to be moved to the Ramleh detention facility until they comply with go away instantly.”
The rights group added: “We proceed to demand the rapid launch of all volunteers and the return of the stolen assist. Their detention is illegal and a violation of worldwide legislation.”
