We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel: Greta Thunberg

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has spoken out for the first time after being released and deported by Israel, stating that several activists remain detained in the country. She also highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinians suffering from catastrophic food shortages in the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the Israeli navy intercepted and detained 12 international activists aboard a British-flagged yacht named Madleen, after the first Palestinian fisherwoma, launched by the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

The activists were abducted in international waters by Israeli commandos and forcibly taken to the port of Ashdod. All 12 passengers were held at a detention facility near Ben Gurion Airport, from where some were later deported.

According to the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, three of the deported activists included Baptiste Andre from France, Sergio Toribio from Spain, and Omar Faiad from France. The remaining eight activists continue to be held by Israeli authorities.

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Speaking to journalists after landing at Paris airport, Greta Thunberg was asked whether she was disappointed at not being able to break the Israeli siege of Gaza.

In response, she said, “I don’t know if disappointed is the right word. This is a continued violation of international law and war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid in, by starving Palestinians and mass slaughtering during a live stream, full-blown genocide, that the world is watching.”

When asked about the response of governments to the detention of international activists, Greta said, “Their silence was complicit in Israel’s illegal actions. But most importantly, their complicity in the genocide that’s going on now by sending aid, military and financial support to Israel. They are also part of the killing of Palestinians.”

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She further stated, “We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel and were taken against our will to Israel.”

“[…] but that is not the real story, the real story is a genocide going on in Gaza and a systematic starvation following a siege and a blockade,” she added.