KLIK SAJA - Israel has confirmed the deportation of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, a day after she and 11 others aboard a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid vessel were intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Thunberg departed Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning on a flight to France after agreeing to the deportation order.
Meanwhile, the French government stated that five out of six of its nationals detained alongside Thunberg had refused to sign their deportation documents and would now face legal proceedings.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group operating the intercepted vessel The Madleen, is demanding the immediate release of all detainees.
The vessel was intercepted on Monday morning as the activists attempted to deliver a “symbolic” shipment of aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s maritime blockade—an effort intended to draw global attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the mission as a “selfie yacht” and announced via X (formerly Twitter) that all passengers had been transferred to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after the ship docked at Ashdod Port Monday night.
“Those who refuse to sign deportation papers and leave Israel will be brought before the relevant judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law,” read the official statement.
On Tuesday morning, the ministry confirmed that Greta Thunberg had “just left Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” sharing a photo of her seated on the plane.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot posted on X that French consular officials had met with the six detained French citizens.
“One of them has agreed to leave voluntarily and is expected to return today. The other five will undergo forced deportation proceedings,” he stated.
Among the detained French nationals were MEP Rima Hassan and two journalists—Omar Faiad of Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi of independent media outlet Blast—who, according to Reporters Without Borders, were documenting the Madleen’s voyage.
In addition to French and Swedish citizens, the vessel carried activists from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey.
FFC confirmed on Monday night that all 12 activists had reached Ashdod and those refusing deportation would be transferred to a detention center in Ramle, near Tel Aviv.
“We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers and the return of the confiscated aid. Their detention is illegal and a violation of international law,” the group stated.