GAZA, June 10 — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other campaigners detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid vessel have been taken to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport for deportation, Israel announced Tuesday, after naval forces intercepted their boat.
GAZA, June 10 — Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other campaigners detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid vessel have been taken to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport for deportation, Israel announced Tuesday, after naval forces intercepted their boat.
The group set sail from Italy on June 1 aboard the Madleen, carrying food and humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine.
Israeli forces intercepted the vessel in international waters on Monday, towing it to the port of Ashdod.
“The passengers of the ‘Selfie Yacht’ have arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to leave Israel and return to their home countries,” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X. “Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and exit the country will be brought before a judicial authority.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the mission, said all 12 activists on board were “being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities.”
“They may be allowed to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as tonight,” the group added in a social media post.
Earlier footage released by the coalition showed the activists raising their hands as Israeli forces boarded the Madleen. One of them confirmed that no injuries were reported.
The interception sparked international backlash. Turkey condemned the move as a “heinous attack,” while Iran described it as “piracy” in international waters.
In May, another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Conscience, was reportedly damaged in international waters near Malta while heading to Gaza. Activists suspected an Israeli drone was responsible.
A 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara, also part of a flotilla attempting to breach the Gaza blockade, resulted in the deaths of 10 civilians.
On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the blockade—imposed long before the current Israel-Hamas war—saying it was necessary to prevent weapons from reaching militant groups.
Journalists Among Those Detained
The Madleen was intercepted approximately 185 kilometres west of Gaza’s coast, based on coordinates provided by the flotilla organisers.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the immediate return of the six French nationals aboard the vessel, including two journalists: Omar Fayyad of Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi of the independent outlet Blast. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders condemned their detention and called for their “immediate release.”
Al Jazeera, in a statement, “categorically denounces the Israeli incursion” and demanded the release of its journalist.
Israeli legal rights group Adalah said the activists had requested their legal support and were likely to be sent to a detention facility prior to deportation.
Calls for More Aid Access
Israel continues to face growing international pressure to ease access for humanitarian aid into Gaza amid dire shortages of food and essentials.
On Monday, a symbolic land convoy carrying aid departed Tunisia, aiming to reach Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In Gaza City, displaced resident Umm Mohammed Abu Namous pleaded for global support: “We hope the nations stand with us and help us. We need 10 boats, not just one.”
“We are innocent people,” she said. “Our children are dying of hunger... We cannot afford to lose more of them.”
Following a months-long aid blockade, Israel has recently resumed limited deliveries and is working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). However, the GHF has faced criticism from aid organisations, and the UN has refused to collaborate with it over concerns regarding transparency and neutrality.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution centres since late May.
The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to AFP tallies from official sources. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 54,880 deaths in the territory, the majority civilians—a figure the UN considers credible.
Out of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas assault, 54 remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. — AFP
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