Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been deported voluntarily from Israel following the interception of the Freedom Flotilla vessel Madleen, which aimed to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. The boat was seized in international waters on Sunday night by Israel’s Shayetet 13 naval unit and escorted to Ashdod Port.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Tuesday morning that Thunberg had departed the country via a flight to Sweden, with a stopover in France.
“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the MFA posted on X.
Thunberg, who joined the flotilla to call attention to the humanitarian and ecological collapse in Gaza, was among 12 international activists on board. The group included medical workers, political figures, and climate advocates protesting what they call an “unlivable siege” that has blocked not only food and medicine but solar energy kits and water filters from reaching the 2.2 million people in the enclave.
Rima Hassan, a refugee from Syria to France has refused deportation. She joins another 7 that will need to appear before a judge before they can be deported.
