Monday, 25 May 2026
Israel deports Greta Thunberg after seizing Gaza-bound ship
TEL AVIV — Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry, one day after Israeli forces seized the Gaza-bound vessel she was aboard, The Associated Press reported.
The ministry announced on X that Thunberg boarded a flight to France before returning to Sweden, her home country, even posting a photo of her—despite her well-known aversion to air travel—seated on the plane.
Thunberg was among 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to deliver aid to Gaza and protest Israel’s ongoing conflict, aiming to highlight the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli naval forces intercepted and took control of the vessel without incident early Monday, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) off the Gaza coast. The coalition and several rights groups condemned the seizure as a violation of international law. The Israeli government, however, denied this, asserting that such ships attempt to breach its legally established naval blockade of Gaza.
Accompanied by the Israeli navy, the boat arrived at the port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
Adalah, a legal advocacy organization representing the activists, said Thunberg, two other activists, and a journalist agreed to deportation and left Israel. The remaining eight activists refused deportation, were detained, and were set to appear before Israeli authorities later Tuesday, the group added.
Sabine Haddad, spokesperson for Israel’s Interior Ministry, stated that those agreeing to deportation had waived their right to a judicial hearing. The others would remain in detention for 96 hours before being deported following a court appearance.
Onboard was also Rima Hassan, a French Member of the European Parliament of Palestinian descent, who has been denied entry into Israel due to her opposition to Israeli policies. It remained unclear whether she would be immediately deported or detained.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reported Tuesday that one of the French detainees had signed an expulsion order and would return to France, while the other five refused. All French activists, he confirmed, had received consular visits.
Adalah insisted Monday that Israel lacked “any legal authority” to seize the vessel, noting it was traversing international waters en route to Palestinian, not Israeli, territory. Amnesty International also accused Israel of violating international law with its naval intervention and called for the immediate, unconditional release of the activists.
“The arrest of unarmed activists engaged in delivering humanitarian aid constitutes a grave breach of international law,” Adalah stated.
Israeli officials dismissed the voyage as merely a publicity stunt, labeling the ship the “selfie yacht” and downplaying its humanitarian significance, claiming the aid onboard totaled less than a truckload of supplies.