Tel Aviv: Israel on Monday, October 6, deported 171 members of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, to Greece and Slovakia after intercepting a convoy of 44 boats carrying activists and humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
The flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona on August 31, aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters on Wednesday night, October 1, detaining about 470 participants.
In a statement posted on X, the Israel Foreign Ministry said that the deportees are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.
It claimed that the deportations, calling the flotilla a “PR stunt” designed to spread misinformation.
“All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld. The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign,” the ministry said.
The ministry claimed the only violent incident occurred when one flotilla member bit a female medical staffer at Ketsiyot Prison. It also released photographs showing Thunberg and other activists walking through Ramon International Airport before deportation
However, several deported activists have alleged mistreatment and abuse while in Israeli custody. Malaysian activist Hazwani Helmi and American participant Windfield Beaver told Reuters that Thunberg was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag. Helmi alleged detainees were denied access to clean water, food, and medication.
Italian councillor Paolo Romano told AFP that detainees were subjected to both physical and psychological violence. “They forced us to kneel, face down. If we moved, they hit us. They laughed, insulted, and beat us,” he said.
An email reviewed by The Guardian from the Swedish Foreign Ministry said an embassy official who met Thunberg in detention found her in poor conditions, suffering from dehydration and rashes, with limited access to food and water.
“The embassy has been able to meet with Greta. She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs,” the email read.
Israel has rejected all allegations, describing them as “complete lies.” A foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters that all detainees were provided with food, water, and legal counsel, insisting that their rights were fully upheld.
Monday’s deportation adds to a growing list of expulsions since the flotilla’s interception.
- Friday, October 3: Four Italian citizens were deported.
- Saturday, October 4: 137 detainees from 13 countries, including the US, UK, Jordan, and Turkey, were flown to Istanbul.
- Sunday, October 5: 29 people from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands were deported to Spain.
The GSF, part of a long-running campaign to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, is the latest civil effort to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. The blockade, in place since 2007, remains one of the most contested aspects of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include the additional details.
