Israel releases Greta Thunberg’s picture on plane, deports her to Sweden

After forcibly detaining climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 other international activists aboard the Madleen ship en route to Gaza, Israel started their deportation. Thunberg reportedly signed the deportation papers, while EU Parliament member Rima Hassan refused.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry released photos of Thunberg on X. The fate of the remaining activists remains unclear, as they were transferred to a detention facility at Ben Gurion Airport, from where they are expected to be deported to their respective countries.

The 12 activists were abducted by the Israeli navy late Sunday when the aid flotilla, named Madleen, was approximately 100 km from Gaza. Israeli commandos seized the vessel, confiscated the humanitarian aid, and forcibly transported the activists to Ashdod port.

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International human rights organisations and activists condemned Israel’s forceful detention of the Madleen passengers and demanded their immediate release.

The ship, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, had set sail for Gaza on June 1 with the aim of breaking the Israeli siege of the enclave and delivering aid to starving Palestinians, as Isrel continues to block the entry of food and essential supplies.

Before their abduction, the activists had already recorded video messages warning of a possible kidnapping by Israel and urged their governments to intervene and prevent such detentions.