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Israel deports Thunberg after seizing ship she was on to Gaza

2025-06-10 11:56:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, a day after the Israeli military confiscated the boat on which she and several other activists were traveling to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced.

Thunberg flew to France, from where she will then return to her home country, Sweden, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X.

Thunberg was among 12 passengers on the ship Madleen, which was delivering aid to Gaza in protest against Israel's ongoing war and to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the trip.

Israeli naval forces seized the ship without incident on Monday morning, about 200 kilometers off the Gaza coast, according to the coalition, which along with human rights groups, said Israel violated international law with the action.

Israel denies the accusations, saying such ships aim to break a naval blockade of Gaza, which it considers legal.

The ship, escorted by the Israeli navy, arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Adalah, a legal rights organization in Israel that represents activists, said Thunberg, two other activists and a journalist had agreed to be deported and leave Israel.

The eight activists refused to be deported, and are being held in detention, so their cases will be reviewed by Israeli authorities, according to Adalah.

The group added that the activists are expected to appear in court later Tuesday.

Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Interior Ministry, said the activists being deported on Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who refused will appear in court and be held in custody for 96 hours before being deported.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament of Palestinian origin, was also among the volunteers on board. She had been banned from entering Israel because of her stances against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. It is not clear whether she will be immediately deported or has been detained.

On Monday, Adalah said that Israel "had no legal authority" to take control of the ship, as it was in international waters and was not headed towards Israel, but towards "the territorial waters of the State of Palestine."

Amnesty International stated that Israel was violating international law with the naval intervention and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the activists.

Israel praised the ship as a spectacle, calling it the "selfie yacht."

Israeli officials said the ship was bringing "small" aid, less than a truckload./ REL