ASHDOD, Israel – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg made headlines across the world after Israeli forces stopped her attempt to bring aid to Gaza with the “Freedom Flotilla.” On Monday, 9 June, the yacht, called the “selfie yacht” by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, was intercepted in international waters.
Thunberg later said she and the other activists had been “kidnapped.” Israeli officials dismissed the accusation, saying it was just a publicity move. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump mocked the 22-year-old, recommending “anger management classes.”
The Madleen, sailing under a British flag, left Sicily on 1 June. Thunberg joined 11 other activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) to deliver a small amount of aid to Gaza. Their supplies included rice, baby formula, and medical goods.
The trip was meant to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, which began in 2007. Israel says the blockade is to stop Hamas from getting weapons.
Israeli navy boats intercepted the Madleen about 125 miles from Gaza’s shore and towed it to Ashdod. The FFC called the move “state piracy,” saying the activists were boarded without legal grounds and their cargo was seized. Thunberg, in a pre-recorded FFC video, said,
“If you’re seeing this, we’ve been stopped and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli forces.” Greta Thunberg urged her supporters to push the Swedish government for their release.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the kidnapping claims and defended the interception as legal. On X, the ministry posted, “The ‘selfie yacht’ with ‘celebrities’ is on its way to Israel’s shores,” and shared a photo of Thunberg smiling while an Israeli soldier offered her a sandwich.
The ministry said the aid on board was “less than a truckload” and would go to Gaza through the usual routes. According to the ministry, over 1,200 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the previous two weeks.
After arriving in Ashdod, the activists watched a 43-minute video about the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack in southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, claimed Greta Thunberg and the others stopped watching when they realized what the video showed.
Katz accused the group of “ignoring the truth” and supporting Hamas, and called Thunberg “anti-Semitic.” Thunberg, upon landing in Paris after her deportation, said the accusation was “ironic.”
“They call this a PR stunt, but look at their own performance with the sandwiches,” Thunberg said at Charles de Gaulle Airport, insisting the trip was a response to Gaza facing “systematic starvation.” Greta Thunberg called the Israeli interception unlawful and renewed her demand for a “free Palestine.”
President Trump, during a White House event on 9 June, brushed off claims of kidnapping. “I think Israel has enough to deal with without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” he said. “ She’s a young, angry person … I think she has to go to an anger management class.
That’s my main advice for her.” Greta Thunberg laughed off his comments, saying, “The world needs a lot more young angry women right now.”
Bloomberg weighed in with an opinion piece titled “Ignore the Greta Circus,” arguing that Thunberg’s high-profile protests distract from complex topics like the Israel-Hamas conflict. The article said that her actions, while grabbing attention, could make the causes she supports seem less serious, and suggested readers should focus on diplomacy instead of “Instagram activism.”
Of the 12 activists, four, including Thunberg, agreed to leave the country at once. The remaining eight refused to sign deportation documents and were held at Givon Prison near Ramle, waiting for court hearings. The legal rights group Adalah, representing the activists, argued that detaining them in international waters was illegal, a claim Israel disputes.
The episode has reignited arguments over Thunberg’s style of activism and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations warns famine is likely in the region. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer criticized Thunberg for claiming to be kidnapped while not speaking about Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Her supporters praised her for trying to bring global focus back to Gaza’s crisis, with the FFC promising more efforts to challenge the blockade.
As Thunberg returned to Sweden by way of France, the “selfie yacht” incident showed just how divided views remain on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with each side accusing the other of using the story for their aims. Whether Thunberg’s actions will lead to real change or just keep the spotlight on her remains to be seen.
Sources: Reuters, The Nightly, Bloomberg
