Israel said on Monday that it has deported 171 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner
Greta Thunberg, who were detained while taking part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, the Israeli foreign ministry confirmed.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli foreign ministry wrote, “171 additional provocateurs from the Hamas–Sumud flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, were deported today from Israel to Greece and Slovakia.” The deportees included citizens of Greece, Italy, France, and the United States.
Photos shared on X showed Thunberg walking through Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in the grey tracksuit used in Israeli prisons, alongside two other women.
The Israeli foreign ministry told that 138 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla still remain in Israeli custody. The 45-vessel flotilla aimed to break the Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, where the
UN has reported famine-like conditions after two years of conflict.
Israel began intercepting the vessels in international waters on Wednesday. An official said boats carrying over 400 people were prevented from reaching Palestinian territory. Activists deported to Istanbul last Saturday alleged they had been subjected to violence and “treated like animals.”
Responding to the allegations, Israel said in the post on X that, “All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld.” The ministry added, “The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign.”
Around 450 activists, including Thunberg, were arrested last week aboard the Global Sumud flotilla, which carries food, water, and medical supplies toward Gaza. Israel has denied claims of mistreatment.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, was the latest attempt by activists to challenge the years-long Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israel maintains the blockade is legal and called the flotilla a provocation. It had also warned the flotilla organizers to change their course before intercepting the boats.
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