Greta Thunberg deported from Israel after Gaza-bound ‘selfie yacht’ was seized

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel after the country’s naval forces detained her Gaza-bound flotilla, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry said Tuesday that Thunberg was on a flight headed back to Sweden via France. 

“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.

Thunberg and three other activists were transported to Ben Gurion Airport to be deported, while eight others — including a member of the European Parliament — refused to sign deportation paperwork, according to the Times of Israel.

The 22-year-old climate activist reportedly told her attorneys that she could do “more good outside of Israel” and that refusing to leave would “harm” her cause, the Times of Israel reported, citing Adalah, an Israeli organization.

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Thunberg famously avoids air travel as part of her climate activism, making this flight out of Israel an anomaly for her.

The Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla, named the Madleen, early on Monday. Thunberg posted a video amid the chaos saying that she had been “kidnapped” by Israel, a comment which drew heavy scrutiny, as some pointed out the plight of the hostages who have been held in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

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When asked about Thunberg’s claim that she had been “kidnapped,” President Donald Trump said, “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.” The president called the climate activist a “strange person” and told reporters that she needed “anger management” courses.

Thunberg was one of 12 people aboard the flotilla, which Israel dubbed the “selfie yacht,” claiming that the entire thing was a publicity stunt. The Madleen was carrying aid for the people of Gaza, though Israel said that the ship contained less than a single truckload. 

“The tiny amount of aid that wasn’t consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X after the Madleen was intercepted. “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies.”

Israel said on Monday that more than 1,200 aid trucks had entered Gaza over the past two weeks, and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed organization, had delivered almost 11 million meals to the civilians in Gaza.