Greta Thunberg and several Freedom Flotilla activists have been deported from Israel after reportedly refusing to watch unedited footage of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities. The Israeli Navy intercepted their vessel, the Madleen, off the coast of Gaza and transported them to the port of Ashdod before beginning deportation procedures. The Freedom Flotilla, launched as a protest against Israel’s blockade of Gaza, has now ignited global backlash and fresh scrutiny over the motives behind its voyage.
Thunberg and three others signed deportation papers and boarded a plane to France, while eight activists who refused remain in Israeli detention pending a court hearing. A spokesperson for the legal aid group Adalah, representing the activists, quoted Thunberg as saying, “I do more good outside of Israel than if I am forced to stay here for a few weeks.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the activists were shown film compiled from Hamas bodycams and surveillance video. Katz said, “It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support… is.” When the screening began, the activists allegedly refused to continue watching. Katz later remarked, “The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth.”
Israel has branded the Madleen a publicity stunt, mocking the vessel as the “selfie yacht” and circulating images of activists in life vests receiving sandwiches and water from IDF personnel. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition countered by accusing Israel of “kidnapping” its crew in international waters and deploying a white chemical irritant prior to the boarding.
Israeli officials stood firm, denying any harm and insisting the ship had violated a legitimate blockade. Foreign Ministry spokesman David Mencer dismissed the voyage as “Instagram activism,” adding, “Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.”
President Donald Trump responded during a White House press conference, saying, “I think she has to go to anger management class… She’s a young, angry person.”
While Katz concluded, “They prefer the murderers to the murdered.”
