Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in France after being deported by Israel for attempting to break the country’s 18-year naval blockade of Gaza.
The 22-year-old activist told reporters in France that Israel had violated international waters by intercepting the Gaza-bound, UK-flagged Madleen that she and 11 other activists had sailed from Sicily to the Egyptian coast.
“I was very clear in my testimony that we were kidnapped on international waters and brought against our own will into Israel,” she said.
She laughed off criticism from Donald Trump, who had described her as an angry person, saying: “I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now.”
At least five of the 12 activists arrested on board the Madleen flotilla are expected to be deported on Tuesday, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan.
The group were picked up off the coast of Egypt earlier on Monday morning and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where they were detained. They had been attempting to take a symbolic amount of aid into Gaza.
Israel intercepts Gaza-bound Madleen
- Greta Thunberg arrives in Paris after being deported by Israel
- UK to sanction two far-right Israeli ministers
- Why was the Madleen sailing to Gaza?
Explained: What is Israel's naval blockade?
08:00 , Daniel KeaneIsrael imposed a complete blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip in 2007, after Hamas assumed control.
The aim of the blockade at the time was to exert pressure on the militant group, and prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
After the October 7 attacks, a total blockade was imposed on the Strip, but Israel later allowed aid into Gaza following pressure from former US President Joe Biden.
ICYMI | Israeli gunfire kills 17 people near Gaza aid site, health officials say
07:00 , Jabed AhmedIsraeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site run by a US-backed humanitarian group in central Gaza on Tuesday, local health authorities said.
Medics said the casualties were rushed to two hospitals, the Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, and the Al-Quds in Gaza City, in the north.
The Israeli military said its forces had fired warning shots at "suspects who were advancing in the area of Wadi Gaza and posed a threat to the troops".
It added that it was aware of reports that several were injured, but said numbers released by local health authorities did not align with the information it had collected.
"The warning shots were fired hundreds of meters from the aid distribution site, prior to its opening hours and toward the suspects who posed a threat to the troops," the military added.
It has previously accused Hamas militants of deliberately disrupting aid distribution.
Watch | Greta Thunberg says she was 'kidnapped' by Israel in international waters
06:00 , Jabed Ahmed'Why my friend Greta had no choice but to sail to Gaza'
05:00 , Jabed AhmedClimate campaigner Scarlett Westbrook has written for The Independent about her first experience of meeting Greta Thunberg when she was a teenager.
“Rather than being a "selfie boat", it is truly "selfless", as the crew have put their lives on the line in an effort to bring aid to the most vulnerable people on the planet,” she writes of the Madleen.
You can read the full Voices article below:
Why my friend Greta Thunberg had no choice but to sail an aid boat to Gaza
Greta Thunberg accuses Israel of war crimes
04:00 , Jabed AhmedGreta Thunberg has accused Israel of systematic war crimes against Palestinians
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Paris, the activist said: “The real story is that there is a genocide going on in Gaza and a systematic starvation following the siege and blockade now, which is leading to food, medicine, water that are desperately needed to get into Gaza is prevented from doing so.
“But of course there are many attempts like this mission both by sea and land to break that siege and open up a humanitarian corridor.”
“This is a continued violation of international law and war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people, and mass slaughtering in every possible way,” the 22-year-old Swede said.
She added: “We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters. We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong.”
Israel commits 'extermination' in Gaza by killing in schools, UN experts say
03:00 , Jabed AhmedUN experts have said in a report that Israel committed the crime against humanity of "extermination" by killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, part of a "concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life."
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was due to present the report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on 17 June.
"We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza," former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who chairs the commission, said in a statement.
"Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination," she added.
The commission examined attacks on educational facilities and religious and cultural sites to assess whether international law was breached.
Israel disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February, alleging it was biased. Its diplomatic mission said on Thursday that the commission's latest report was an "attempt to promote its fictitious narrative of the Gaza war", and proved that its members "care more about bashing Israel than protecting the people of Gaza."
In its report, the commission said Israel had destroyed more than 90% of school and university buildings and more than half of all religious and cultural sites in Gaza.
How many times have sailors tried to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza?
01:57 , Jabed AhmedThere have been at least eleven occasions when Israel has intercepted activists or pro-Palestinian militants attempting to break its blockade on Gaza, we can report.
Israel’s blockade on Gaza has been in place since late 2007.
The most significant incident happened in May 2010, when a six-boat flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy around 90 miles from Gaza. Nine people were killed after Israeli commandos opened fire on activists, having boarded the flagship vessel, the Mavi Marmara, Israel claims the activists began attacking the soldiers first. Neither account has been confirmed.
There were additional, major attempts by activists in July 2011, June 2015 and August 2018. The vessels were all boarded without incident by Israeli forces. Like the Madleen, several were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Several smaller efforts were also intercepted by Israel, largely in the two years between 2009 and 2011.
In March 2011, the Israelis intercepted a freighter called the Victoria in the Mediterranean with 50 tonnes of concealed weapons allegedly bound for Gaza.
Last month, two drones hit another vessel destined for Gaza while it was off the coast of Malta. It was run by the same organisation that manages the Madleen, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The FFC claimed those drones were Israeli. Israel declined to comment.
Who was on board the Madleen?
Wednesday 11 June 2025 00:58 , Tom WatlingThere were a dozen activists aboard the Gaza-bound Madleen when it was intercepted by Israeli forces off the coast of Egypt on Monday morning.
Below is a list of the 12 people:
- Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate and social justice activist
- Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament representing France’s far-left La France Insoumise party
- Omar Faiad, a French journalist with Al Jazeera who is covering the trip
- Yanis Mhamdi, a journalist at the French independent media outlet, Blast, also there to report on the trip
- Pascal Maurieras, a French activist and experienced flotilla participant
- Thiago Avila, a Brazilian journalist, social activist and politician who has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause for almost two decades
- Baptiste Andre, a French physician who is expected to assist passengers or demonstrators injured in possible confrontations with Israeli forces
- Yasemin Acar, a German activist of Kurdish descent and part of the FCC’s steering committee
- Reva Viard, a climate activist from France
- Suayb Ordu, a Turkish activist
- Sergio Toribio, a crew member from Spain and a member of the marine conservation NGO, Sea Shepherd
- Marco Van Rennes, a Dutch marine engineering student and crew member
Yemen missile launched toward Israel 'most likely' intercepted, military says
Tuesday 10 June 2025 23:58 , Andy GregoryThe Israeli military said on Tuesday that a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel had “most likely” been intercepted, hours after Israel deployed its navy to hit targets in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
Israel threatened Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
“Additional interceptors were launched due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception,” the Israeli military said in a later statement after sirens sounded in several areas.
Watch: Israeli government criticises Greta Thunberg 'selfie yacht'
Tuesday 10 June 2025 22:57 , Andy GregoryActivists 'shielded by their passports', says Freedom Flotilla Coalition
Tuesday 10 June 2025 21:55 , Andy GregoryThe activists on board the flotilla acknowledge that “by virtue of their passports”, they are “shielded from the daily brutality” endured by Palestinians, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has said.
In a statement, the FCC said it “acknowledges that by virtue of their passports of privilege, the Madleen 12 are shielded from the daily brutality and horrendous systemic torture Palestinians endure under Israeli occupation.
“According to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, as of June 4, 2025, there are over 10,400 Palestinians held captive in Israeli dungeons. Of those, more than 400 are children and more than 3,500 are held without trial, charge, or minimal due process.”
Thirty six people killed near aid sites in Gaza, health officials say
Tuesday 10 June 2025 20:56 , Andy GregoryPalestinians desperately trying to access aid in Gaza have come under fire again, with 36 people killed and 207 injured on Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Experts and humanitarian aid workers say Israel’s blockade and 20-month military campaign have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. At least 163 people have been killed and 1,495 wounded in a number of shootings near aid sites run by the new Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
In southern Gaza, at least eight people were killed while trying to obtain aid around Rafah, according to Nasser Hospital.
In northern Gaza, two men and a child were killed and at least 130 were wounded on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. They said most were being treated for gunshot wounds.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces opened fire at around 2am local time, several hundred yards from the aid site in central Gaza. Crowds of Palestinians seeking desperately needed food often head to the sites hours before dawn, hoping to beat the crowds.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it referred to as suspects. It said they had advanced toward its troops hundreds of yards from the aid site prior to its opening hours.
UK will never accept forced displacement of Gazans, vows Foreign Office minister
Tuesday 10 June 2025 19:58 , Andy GregorySir Keir Starmer’s government “will never accept the unlawful transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza”, a Foreign Office minister has vowed.
Hamish Falconer told the Commons: “The situation in the West Bank cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza – extremist rhetoric advocating forced displacement of Palestinians, denial of essential aid.
“The creation of new Israeli settlements in the Strip is equally appalling and dangerous. This government will never accept the unlawful transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza strip.
“The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic in Gaza. While Israel's ground and air operations expand, Gazans have now been pushed into less than 20 per cent in the territory.
“Hospitals have been destroyed and damaged. The entire population of Gaza is now at risk of famine. Meanwhile, Israel’s newly-introduced measures for aid endanger civilians and foster desperation – they are inhumane.”
Greta Thunberg accuses Israel of war crimes
Tuesday 10 June 2025 18:59 , Andy GregoryGreta Thunberg has accused Israel of systematic war crimes against Palestinians
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Paris, the activist said: “The real story is that there is a genocide going on in Gaza and a systematic starvation following the siege and blockade now, which is leading to food, medicine, water that are desperately needed to get into Gaza is prevented from doing so.
“But of course there are many attempts like this mission both by sea and land to break that siege and open up a humanitarian corridor.”
“This is a continued violation of international law and war crimes that Israel is systematically committing against Palestinians by not letting aid come to starving people, and mass slaughtering in every possible way,” the 22-year-old Swede said.
She added: “We were 12 peaceful volunteers sailing on a civilian ship carrying humanitarian aid on international waters. We did not break laws. We did nothing wrong.”
'Why my friend Greta had no choice but to sail to Gaza'
Tuesday 10 June 2025 18:00 , Daniel KeaneClimate campaigner Scarlett Westbrook has written a piece for The Independent about her first experience of meeting Greta Thunberg when she was a teenager.
“Rather than being a "selfie boat", it is truly "selfless", as the crew have put their lives on the line in an effort to bring aid to the most vulnerable people on the planet,” she writes of the Madleen.
You can read her full piece below.
Why my friend Greta Thunberg had no choice but to sail an aid boat to Gaza
Netanyahu says 'significant progress' made in talks to release hostages
Tuesday 10 June 2025 17:30 , Daniel KeaneMeanwhile in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been “significant progress” in efforts to secure the remaining hostages in Gaza.
But he said in a video statement that it was “too soon” to hope that a deal could be struck to ensure their safe return to Israel.
Israel's leadership has said that it would wage war until the remaining 55 hostages held in Gaza are freed and when Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war, has been dismantled.
A brief history of Trump's clashes with Thunberg
Tuesday 10 June 2025 17:00 , Daniel KeaneDonald Trump’s claim that Greta Thunberg is an “angry” person is not the first time that the pair have clashed publicly.
During a conference in 2019, the US President sarcastically described the then 16-year-old as a “very happy young girl” after she delivered a speech on climate change at the United Nations.
Mr Trump also took aim at her later that year after she was named Time magazine’s person of the year, claiming she should “work on her anger management problem”.
Greta Thunberg hits back at Donald Trump after criticism
Tuesday 10 June 2025 16:30 , Daniel KeaneGreta Thunberg has laughed off criticism from Donald Trump, who had described her as an angry person.
She told reporters after arriving in Paris: “I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest, especially with everything going on right now.”
It came after Mr Trump described her as a “strange” and “angry” person when asked about her mission to deliver aid to Gaza on the Madleen ship.
Greta Thunberg says she was 'kidnapped' by Israel in international waters
Tuesday 10 June 2025 16:00 , Tom WatlingIn pictures: Greta Thunberg arrives in Paris
Tuesday 10 June 2025 15:47 , Tom Watling
We have some more comments from Greta Thunberg
Tuesday 10 June 2025 15:27 , Tom WatlingWe have some more comments from Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on the Israeli capture of her Gaza-bound vessel Madleen.
Ms Thunberg arrived in Paris today after being deported by Israel this morning. She is expected to travel to Sweden later.
Speaking upon arrival at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla.
She described a “quite chaotic and uncertain” situation during the detention.
The activist added that the conditions they faced “are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now”.
“We were well aware of the risks of this mission,” Ms Thunberg added. “The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.”
UK confirms sanctions against Israel's Ben-Gvir and Smotrich
Tuesday 10 June 2025 15:26 , Tom WatlingBritain confirmed on Tuesday that it had sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, in response to what it called their incitement of violence against Palestinian communities.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now to hold those responsible to account,” British foreign minister David Lammy said in a statement.
Toribio says Israel detained them in neutral waters
Tuesday 10 June 2025 15:03 , Tom WatlingAs promised, we have some quotes from Spanish activist Sergio Toribio, who arrived in Barcelona this morning after being deported by Israel.
Toribio was one of 12 activists aboard the Madleen who were picked up by Israel off the coast of Egypt while attempting to break the naval blockade on Gaza.
“If we were in international waters, we couldn’t be in any military zone. When they attacked us, before they arrived, when we could already see they wanted to board, the marine emergency services were alerted. These are international waters. There is no military base, nor a military zone,” said Mr Toribio.
“They held us on the boat, they monitored us quite well, you have to bear in mind. A unit of 12 people, they are professionals.
“The doctor came, they checked all of us, and they gave us water, food. They put all of us on deck to keep an eye on us, and they kept us there for nearly half a day until the sun started to rise.”
Israeli far-right ministers respond to UK sanctions announcement
Tuesday 10 June 2025 14:44 , Tom WatlingIsraeli far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have responded to a report that the UK is about to sanction them.
The foreign ministry has not elaborated on why the pair are being sanctioned, but both ministers have talked about cleansing Gaza of Palestinians and supporting illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Security minister Ben-Gvir said he had “contempt” for the sanctions package and compared it to the 1939 UK policy paper limiting Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine.
“We survived Pharaoh, we will also survive Keir Starmer,” he said in a statement. “I will continue to work for Israel and the people of Israel without fear or intimidation!”
At a dedication ceremony for a new settlement near Hebron, finance minister Smotrich also called the decision “a White Paper.”
“Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland and we will not allow it to do so again,” he said. “We are determined to continue building.”
Spanish Madleen activist arrives in Barcelona
Tuesday 10 June 2025 14:28 , Tom WatlingSpanish activist Sergio Toribio has arrived in Barcelona after being deported by Israel.
Toribio was among 12 activists detained by Israel after attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
We will bring you some quotes from Toribio shortly.
.png)
.png?trim=59%2C201%2C47%2C258)
Thunberg responds to Israeli claims that the Madleen trip was a PR stunt
Tuesday 10 June 2025 14:18 , Tom WatlingGreta Thunberg has responded to claims by the Israeli defence minister that the Madleen’s attempt to break Israel’s 18-year naval blockade of Gaza was a PR stunt.
Speaking to reporters in a Paris airport, she said Israel Katz’s remarks were “ironical … given their propaganda videos”.
Israel has frequently posted videos of its exploits in Gaza, as well as using advertising space on platforms such as YouTube to claim the United Nations is complicit in Hamas’ attacks on October 7.
UK will sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, Times reports
Tuesday 10 June 2025 14:07Britain and other international allies will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, following their conduct over the war in Gaza, The Times reported on Tuesday.
London will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel's national security minister Ben-Gvir - a West Bank settler - and finance minister Smotrich.
Britain's foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Thunberg arrives in Paris
Tuesday 10 June 2025 13:49 , Tom WatlingSwedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Paris, en route to Sweden, after she was deported by Israel.
The 22-year-old was detained by Israel off the coast of Egypt while attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza early Monday morning. She was put on a plane to France this morning.
Upon arriving at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, she told reporters that Israel violated international law by detaining her ship, the Madleen, outside of Israeli-controlled waters.
“We were kidnapped in international waters,” she said, repeating a phrase she included in her pre-recorded SOS message that was released immediately after her detention on Monday.
Iranian lawmakers accuse US and Israel of planning nuclear talks trap
Tuesday 10 June 2025 13:43 , Tom WatlingThe United States and Israel are seeking to turn nuclear talks into a "strategic trap" for Iran, Iranian lawmakers said in a statement on Tuesday, days before a planned sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks.
Recap: Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg intercepted as Israel says ‘show is over’
Tuesday 10 June 2025 13:14 , Tom WatlingRead below our full piece on what happened yesterday as Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound boat full of activists, including Greta Thunberg.
UNRWA chief: Another day of aid distribution, another day of death trap
Tuesday 10 June 2025 12:47 , Tom WatlingThe chief of the United Nations agency focused on Palestinian refugees has reiterated calls for an end to the current means of administering aid in Gaza, following reports that at least 17 people were killed near a distribution point.
“Another day of aid distribution, another day of death traps,” Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.
“Day after day, casualties & scores of injured are reported at distribution points manned by Israel & private security companies.
“This humiliating system continues to force thousands of hungry & desperate people to walk for tens of miles excluding the most vulnerable & those living too far. This system does not intend to address hunger.”
His comments come as Palestinian health officials reported that at least 17 people had been killed and dozens more wounded as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site of a US-backed humanitarian group in central Gaza on Tuesday.
You can read more about that story further down our blog.
#Gaza, another day of aid distribution another day of death traps.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) June 10, 2025
Day after day, casualties & scores of injured are reported at distribution points manned by Israel & private security companies.
This humiliating system continues to force thousands of hungry & desperate people…
French FM: Two of six French Madleen activists to return to France
Tuesday 10 June 2025 12:37 , Tom WatlingTwo of the six French activists detained by Israel on board the Gaza-bound Madleen will head back to France, the French foreign minister has said.
Jean-Noel Barrot did not name the two activists. He previously said only one of the six activists had agreed to return home.
The rest are refusing to sign their deportation papers and will have to go through a formal detention process in Israel.
France says it obtains Palestinian reform pledge ahead of conference
Tuesday 10 June 2025 12:00 , Tom WatlingFrance said on Tuesday it had obtained new commitments from the Palestinian Authority to reform, ahead of a conference next week at which Paris could become the most prominent Western power to back recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
President Emmanuel Macron has received a letter from Mahmoud Abbas in which the Palestinian president condemns the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack against Israel, calls on all hostages to be released and pledges further reforms, the Elysee said.
Abbas, 89, has headed the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004.
The PA exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to its rival Hamas in 2007. It has previously condemned Hamas for the attack that provoked the Gaza war and has called for the militant group to be disarmed in a future settlement.
The letter to Macron, who is working on organising an international conference with Saudi Arabia to discuss recognition of Palestine, contains “unprecedented” pledges, Macron's office said, without elaborating.
“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces, which will oversee their removal outside the Occupied Palestinian territory, with Arab and international support,” the French leader's office quoted Abbas as having written in the letter.
