JERUSALEM—Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, the day after the Israeli navy prevented her and a group of fellow pro-Palestinian activists from sailing to Gaza.
Israeli forces seized their small aid ship, which was seeking to break a longstanding naval blockade of Gaza, and the 12-strong crew were brought to Israel.
Four of the group, including Thunberg, agreed to immediate deportation, while the eight others contested the repatriation order. They have been detained near Tel Aviv airport awaiting a court hearing on their legal status.
Amongst those who have refused to leave are Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament.
“We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters. We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong,” Thunberg told reporters after she flew into Paris, accusing Israel of kidnapping her.
“(There) is a continued violation of international law and war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people,” the 22-year-old Swede said.
Israel has imposed a rigid land, air and sea blockade on Gaza, saying the shutdown is needed to prevent arms from reaching Hamas terrorists. It lets in limited supplies of food that are mainly distributed by a private group it backs.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the Gaza-bound sea mission as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt.
“Greta and her friends brought in a tiny amount of aid on their celebrity yacht. It did not help the people of Gaza. This was nothing but a ridiculous gimmick,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Tuesday.
‘Angry Women’
Saar said the small quantity of supplies aboard the UK-registered yacht would be transferred to Gaza through “real humanitarian channels”.
Thunberg defended the aid effort, organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, saying a larger boat that could carry a bigger cargo was disabled last month in the Mediterranean by drones allegedly operated by Israel.
She also laughed off criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had described her as an angry person, saying: “I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now.”
She added that it was unclear where she would be heading next, telling reporters it could be Sweden.
Thunberg travels mostly by train and has long shunned airplanes because of their hefty carbon emissions. In 2019, she crossed the Atlantic by boat to attend a climate summit.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007. It tightened its grip significantly after Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and reduced much of the territory to a wasteland.
In March, Israel imposed a total blockade of all supplies reaching Gaza, which experts say has driven the population of more than two million to the brink of famine.
Over the past two weeks Israel has allowed in limited food supplies largely distributed by a new Israeli-backed group. Israel says the step is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. Hamas has denied stealing aid.
By Crispian Balmer and Alexander Cornwell
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