'On a flight to Sweden': Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound ship she was on; shares pic

Activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, a day after Israeli naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship she was aboard. The Swedish environmentalist was put on a flight to France, from where she would continue to Sweden, according to Israel's foreign ministry, which posted a photo of the normally flight-averse activist on the plane.

Thunberg was among 12 passengers on the Madleen, a vessel carrying humanitarian supplies that was seized about 200 kilometers off Gaza's coast. While three other activists agreed to immediate deportation, eight others contested the order and were detained pending a court hearing.


The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the journey, and rights groups including Adalah and Amnesty International condemned Israel's actions as a violation of international law, as the vessel was in international waters. Israel rejected these claims, maintaining its right to enforce what it calls a lawful naval blockade of Gaza.


Israel dismissed the mission as a "selfie yacht" publicity stunt, noting the "meager" aid aboard amounted to less than a truckload of supplies. The cargo, including rice and baby formula, will be transferred to Gaza through "real humanitarian channels," the foreign ministry stated.

US President Donald Trump weighed in on the incident, mocking Thunberg: "I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. She's a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class."

The naval blockade has been in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The current conflict, which began with Hamas's October 7 attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis, has resulted in more than 54,000 Palestinian deaths and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to local health officials.