Photo by
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs/TPS-IL on 10 June, 2025
Greta Thunberg Deported From Israel
Jerusalem, 10 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel and is now on a plane taking her to Sweden via France, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry tweeted an image of Thunberg on the plane.
The ministry did not indicate if the other 11 activists aboard the Madleen, a yacht seeking to break the Gaza blockade, have also left the country. All were taken to Ben-Gurion International Airport. Anyone refusing to sign deportation documents may face judicial proceedings in Israel.
Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen on Monday morning as it was trying to break the Gaza blockade. The boat was carrying a token amount of humanitarian aid, which Israel said would be delivered to Gaza.
Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered a screening of a 43-minute video of Hamas atrocities for the 12, but said they refused to watch it. The video is based on footage from Hamas bodycams, security cameras, cellphones and dashboard cameras and call recordings. The hard-to-watch video was previously screened for international leaders and journalists.
Israeli officials dismissed the Madleen as a publicity stunt, referring to the boat as a “selfie yacht.” The token humanitarian aid it carried will be transferred to Gaza, the Foreign Ministry said.
Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza leading to today’s blockade to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the Strip in 2007. Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically sent flotillas trying to breach the blockade. In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the Mavi Marmara affair of 2010 criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 55 remaining hostages, 33 are believed to be dead.
