The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detained Greta Thunberg and other activists off the coast of the Gaza Strip after she attempted to sail to the territory in an aid vessel, The Associated Press reported Monday.
The voyage, organized by the pro-Palestine group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was bound for the shores of Gaza by way of Sicily before the IDF intercepted the boat as it approached the shore, according to the AP. Israel also planned to have Thunberg and her associates watch tapes from the October 7 massacres upon arrival at the Port of Ashdod, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote in a Monday post to X.
Thunberg has pivoted her public image in recent years from being one of the world’s most well-known climate activists to advocating for pro-Palestinian positions. For her climate change advocacy efforts, she was named TIME Magazine’s “person of the year” in 2019.
“I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,” Thunberg said in a pre-recorded message just before her detainment, according to the AP.
הנחיתי את צה”ל לפעול כדי שמשט השנאה “מדלין” לא יגיע לחופי עזה – ולנקוט בכל אמצעי שיידרש לשם כך.
לגרטה האנטישמית ולחבריה דוברי תעמולת חמאס אני אומר בצורה ברורה: כדאי שתעשו אחורה פנה – כי לעזה לא תגיעו.
ישראל תפעל נגד כל ניסיון לשבור את הסגר או לסייע לארגוני טרור – בים, באוויר… pic.twitter.com/5gwCLqOYLH
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 8, 2025
The Israeli Foreign Ministry mocked the ship as a “selfie yacht” throughout its journey, saying Sunday that Thunberg’s voyage was a “media gimmick for publicity,” noting that the ship contained less than a “single truckload” of aid. While Thunberg and her fellow activists argue that Israel is choking aid to Gaza, the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has recently opened aid distribution centers in the territory, delivering approximately 17,000 boxes of food in total across three sites in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza since 2007, designed to keep Hamas from receiving arms shipments and supplies, according to the AP. As Israel continues to close in on Hamas, the militant group is reportedly struggling to keep its fighters fed and paid.
The FFC said that the voyage was “peaceful,” hauling cargo onboard the ship like baby formula, diapers, sanitary products, water desalination kits and medical supplies. The group said the ship was seized around 200 kilometers from the shores of the Gaza Strip in international waters.
The FFC and the Israeli Defense Ministry did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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