Key Highlights –
- Greta Thunberg, among 450+ activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, was detained and is being deported from Israel to Greece
- The Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy, was meant to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza by bringing in token assistance
- Thunberg and other activists accused the Israeli detention of harsh conditions and (alleged) severe mistreatment, but the country strongly denies the accusations as an blatant lie
- The deportations coincide with high-stakes negotiations, dedicated towards a ceasefire and a hostage/prisoner exchange as part of a US-led peace program, taking place in Egypt
The recent deportation news of high-profile climate activist Greta Thunberg from Israel to Greece has highlighted the growing tensions between the Israeli state and the international pro-Palestinian activists.
Thunberg, one of the 450 people detained after the Israeli Navy blocked the Global Sumud Flotilla in its attempt to lift the naval blockade of Gaza, would be flown out the country on Monday as part of mass deportation, funded by Greece.
It is worth noting that Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela was also among the detainees.
Background and Interception of Flotilla
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” set sail in late August and early September 2025, with the stated mission of delivering a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenging Israel’s long-standing naval blockade.
The incident, which saw Israeli commandos board and seize the vessels attempting to breach the naval blockade on Gaza, culminated in the detention and subsequent transfer of nearly 450 participants from over 40 countries to an Israeli port for processing and deportation.
Israel argues that it needs the blockage as a security measure to stop the importation of the weapons by Hamas that controls the territory and has offered to deliver the aid in a peaceful manner through Israeli ports, which has been reportedly declined by the activists. On October 1-3, Israeli naval forces captured the 42 ships in the international waters and arrested the activists aboard the ships and took them to the port of Ashdod.
Greta Thunberg’s second detention of the year
This incident marks Greta Thunberg’s second detention and subsequent deportation following a similar attempt earlier this year.
The activists accuse Israel of mistreatment
The consequences of the interception soon became a highly divisive discussion on the treatment of the detainees. The activists had come back with reports of gross mistreatment on their part.
According to correspondence by the Swedish Foreign Ministry, which cited a visiting official, Thunberg had alleged that she was detained in a cell with a bedbug problem, was being dehydrated by lack of sufficient food and water, and was receiving cruel treatment.
Other activists also made worse allegations such as a Turkish activist who claimed that Israeli guards dragged little Greta with her hair, beat her, and even forced her to kiss Israeli flag. The detainees were represented by the legal aid organization Adalah which claimed that there was a system of violations such as being denied access to basic rights, water, sanitation, and timely access to an attorney by many of the activists.
Israel’s Firm Denial
Contrastingly, the Israeli government came out strongly to deny all the claims and asserted it that the accusations are nothing but brazen lies.
The Foreign Ministry maintained that no prisoner was denied his legal rights, such as food, water and medical attention.
The claims regarding the mistreatment of Greta Thunberg and other detainees from the Hamas–Sumud flotilla are brazen lies.
All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld.
Interestingly enough, Greta herself and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted…— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 5, 2025
They also observed the seeming counter-intuitive argument that Thunberg and other individuals had declined to speed up their deportation implying that the allegations of mistreatment were unfounded since they insisted on extending their residence.
Gaza Peace Plan Negotiations Underway
High-stakes talks aimed at implementing the first phase of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan are underway in Egypt. Israeli, Hamas and US delegations will discuss the immediate ceasefire, and release of all the remaining hostages in the hands of Hamas in return of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. President of the US Donald Trump himself has encouraged the negotiators to work quickly as he believes that the first step, the hostage-prisoner swap, would be accomplished by the end of this week.
