Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after boat to Gaza intercepted

Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel to go back to Sweden on Tuesday after a boat that she and other activists were aboard to bring aid to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli forces.

The 22-year-old climate activist was put on a plane to France and will later be transported back to her native country of Sweden, The Hill news outlet reported. She and 11 other activists attempted to sail to Gaza from Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily, to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the war-torn territory. The trip was sponsored by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots movement trying to end the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

Israel intercepted the boat late Sunday and redirected it to the Ashdod Port, where four passengers chose to be deported, and eight others remain in custody as they await court appearances.

The coalition claimed the seizure of the boat is a “violation of international law,” but Israeli officials pointed to the blockade as their justification.

Coalition leaders on Tuesday posted on X that eight detained activists “are expected to be moved to the Ramleh detention facility unless they agree to leave immediately, in which case they may be permitted to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as tonight.”

“We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers and the return of the stolen aid,” the coalition added.

Israeli officials have called the activists' trip a publicity stunt.

“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X on Sunday.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”