Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday after she was captured by Israeli forces while onboard the Madleen, a boat trying to break the starvation blockade on Gaza.
“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X in a post that included pictures of Thunberg on a plane.
Three other activists were also deported, while eight remain in an Israeli prison. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the eight activists refuse to sign deportation papers and will be brought before a judge.
“We were illegally attacked and kidnapped by Israel and taken against our will to Israel, where we were detained,” Thunberg told reporters when she arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. “Some of us were deported, some are still there.”
When asked what conditions were like for her in Israeli detention, Thunberg said, “They were absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine, especially Gaza right now.”
She added that the seizure of the Madleen was “yet another violation of international rights” committed by Israel. The Madleen was captured by Israeli forces early Monday morning while it was off the coast of Egypt and approaching Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group behind the humanitarian effort, said on Telegram that it confirmed “that four of the 12 abducted from international waters have been deported, while eight remain unjustly detained.”
“Those who did not consent to leave remain in detention and will appear before a tribunal. But we know Israel’s so-called ‘justice system’ exists to uphold apartheid, occupation and colonization—not deliver justice, and that they will ultimately order a forced expulsion,” the FFC added.
The Conscience, another boat involved with the FFC, was hit by Israeli drones off the coast of Malta in early May, causing a fire and preventing the vessel from making the trip toward Gaza. Back in 2010, Israeli commandos raided six Freedom Flotilla boats and killed 10 Turkish activists.
