Israel has said it has begun to deport Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat. Israeli naval forces intercepted the vessel and detained all aboard.
The Israeli foreign ministry said Thunberg departed on Tuesday morning on a flight to France after she agreed to be deported and would then return to her home country, Sweden.
The ministry posted a photo of Thunberg on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showing the climate activist, who typically shuns air travel, seated on a plane.
But France has said five of the six French activists aboard the ship had refused to sign their deportation orders and would now be brought before an Israeli judicial authority.
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The Madleen
Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza. It hoped to protest war and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey.
Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early Monday about 200 kilometres (125 miles) off Gaza’s coast, according to the coalition. Along with rights groups, it said Israel’s actions were a violation of international law. Israel rejects the charge and said such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza.
The boat, accompanied by Israel’s navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Detained activists
Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing the activists, said Thunberg, two other activists and a journalist had agreed to be deported and leave Israel.
The other eight activists refused deportation, were being held in detention, and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities, Adalah said. The activists were expected to be brought before a court later on Tuesday, the group added.
Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported on Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and will be held for 96 hours before being deported, she said.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the passengers on board the Madleen. She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. It was unclear whether she would be immediately deported or detained.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits.
Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist who was deported, slammed Israel’s actions after he arrived in Barcelona.
“It is unforgivable; it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters,” he told reporters.
A breach of international law?
On Monday, Adalah, the rights group, said that Israel had “no legal authority” to take over the ship because the group said it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the “territorial waters of the state of Palestine”.
“The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law,” Adalah said in a statement.
Amnesty International said Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists immediately and unconditionally.
Israel said its actions were consistent with international law.
Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt, calling it the “selfie yacht.” Israeli officials said that the flotilla was bringing “meagre” aid with what amounted to less than a truckload of goods.
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A long-standing blockade of Gaza
During the 20-month-long war in Gaza, Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory, including food, fuel and medicine. Experts say that policy has pushed Gaza toward famine. Israel says Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule.
The Israeli military campaign – triggered after Hamas-led militants entered Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, and killed around 1,200 people, many of them civilians – has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 per cent of the territory’s population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid.
Hamas took 251 hostages, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. They still hold 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The health ministry has said women and children make up most of the dead.
