Israel deports Greta Thunberg after boarding Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla ship
June 11 2025
ABC News
GRETA THUNBERG plane
Greta Thunberg is pictured on a flight to France after being detained by the Israeli army.
In short:
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is en route to Sweden after being deported from Israel.
The 22-year-old and other crew members were detained aboard a charity boat as it neared Gaza on Monday.
The activists were carrying humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, and said they wanted to raise international awareness about the crisis in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of war.
Israel has deported Swedish activist Greta Thunberg after she was detained on a charity boat as it neared Gaza, the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Ms Thunberg was on a flight to France, where she would continue her journey to her home country Sweden, the ministry said on Tuesday.
She usually refuses to fly because of the carbon emissions of the airline industry.
The 22-year-old and a group of activists were taken to Tel Aviv airport ahead of their deportation, after the Israeli navy prevented them from sailing to Gaza on Monday.
Israeli forces boarded the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's yacht, the Madleen, and seized 12 crew members, including campaigner Thunberg.
Israeli forces detains Greta Thunberg after boarding Freedom Flotilla ship
Photo shows greta thunberg wearing a life jacket while being detained by israel police
Israeli forces took command of the charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and has detained its crew as it is steered to a port in Israel, officials said.
Eight other crew members are contesting their deportation order, Israeli rights group Adalah, which advised them, said in a statement.
They will be held in a detention centre ahead of a court hearing.
It was not immediately clear when that would happen.
"Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorise their deportation."
Twelve people wearing orange life jackets sit in a yacht with hands above heads as bright light shines into their ship.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition released video of what it said was the moment Israeli forces boarded the Madleen.
After arriving in Paris, Ms Thunberg and her crewmates had been "kidnapped on international waters and brought against our own will into Israel".
The activists had been carrying a small cargo of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, and said they wanted to raise international awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of war.
Israel dismissed the voyage as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt.
“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,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Ms Thunberg accused Israel of kidnapping her in international waters, in a video that was recorded ahead of the Israeli navy action.
"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," she said.
Greta Thunberg releases a pre-recorded statement saying the Freedom Flotilla ship the Madleen has been intercepted.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.
Israel said it aims to stop weapons from reaching Hamas.
The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the present war, which began when Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages by Israeli tallies.
Israel's offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza.
In March, Israel imposed a total blockade of all supplies reaching Gaza, which the United Nations said was driving the population to the brink of famine.
Over the past two weeks, Israel has allowed in limited food supplies to be distributed by a new Israeli-backed group, a step Israel said was necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid.
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