ACTIVIST Greta Thunberg is being deported from Israel after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Thunberg on a plane, saying that she was heading for France before continuing to Sweden.
Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing Thunberg and the other activists, said the Swede, two other campaigners, and a journalist had agreed to be deported.
Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France). pic.twitter.com/kWrI9KVoqX
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 10, 2025
Other activists refused deportation, were being held in detention and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities.
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, is reported to be among the people to refuse deportation.
Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza.
Israeli naval forces seized the boat early on Monday about 125 miles off Gaza’s coast. It had been in international waters sailing under a UK red ensign, meaning it was under UK jurisdiction.
After being illegally seized, the boat arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Monday evening.
The activists said they were protesting against the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry tried to portray the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
Sabine Haddad, a spokesperson for Israel’s Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported on Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and will be held for 96 hours before being deported.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits.
Adalah said that Israel had “no legal authority” to take over the ship because the group said it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the “territorial waters of the state of Palestine”.
Amnesty International said Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists immediately and unconditionally.
“The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law,” Adalah said.
