Thunberg accuses Israel of kidnap after Gaza aid boat intercepted

TEL AVIV

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg talks to journalists upon her arrival to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, as she left Israel on a flight to Sweden via France, after she was detained along with other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat, on June 10, 2025.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday accused Israel of "kidnapping us in international waters and taking us against out will to Israel" after security forces intercepted a boat carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.

"This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing," Thunberg, 22, told reporters on arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after being deported from Israel, stressing that her own experience was "nothing compared to what the Palestinians are going through".

Thunberg and three other activists were deported from Israel on June 10 after being detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid vessel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that Thunberg departed the country and was scheduled to fly to Sweden via France.

Israeli forces intercepted the boat, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in international waters on June 9 and towed it to the port of Ashdod. They were then transferred to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

Thunberg, an environmental activist known for her years-long commitment to avoiding air travel due to its environmental impact, was among the four activists cited in a mid-morning statement confirming their departure or imminent exit from Israel.

The remaining eight who refused to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority to authorize their deportation. Five of them were French activists, according to a statement by Paris.

Turkish media reported that Turkish member of the crew, Şuayp Ordu, who also signed his deportation documents.

According to sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkish nationals remain under close scrutiny.

The detainees received visits from officials at Türkiye’s Embassy in Tel Aviv.

All necessary consular support has been extended to the Turkish citizens and their families have been duly informed of the ongoing process, the sources added.

Israel's interception of the Madleen about 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza, was condemned by Turkey as a "heinous attack" and Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters.

In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists saying they suspected an Israeli drone attack.

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 “meager” aid with what amounted to less than a truckload of goods.

 Netanyahu's gov’t face vote on June 11

In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a vote to dissolve parliament on June 11 and key coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government.

Still, few think it's the end of the road for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who has been battling corruption charges for years, or his far-right government, still in power after presiding over the security failures surrounding the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

The move to dissolve, called by the opposition, will only pass if Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners break with him over the failure to pass a law exempting their community from military service, an issue that has bitterly divided Israelis, especially during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The threats coming from the ultra-Orthodox could be posturing, and many expect Netanyahu to pull off a last-minute deal. But the June 11 vote is the most serious challenge to Netanyahu's government since the war began, and the coalition's collapse could have major implications for Israel and the ongoing war.