Greta Thunberg has spoken for the first time since being deported by Israel after the boat she was using to deliver aid to Palestinians was captured by Israeli forces.
The Swedish activist, 22, was among 12 volunteers aboard the Madleen, a Gaza-bound aid ship intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters.
Israel’s foreign ministry said Ms Thunberg was placed on a flight to France on Tuesday, where she would continue her journey to Sweden.
After being detained, the activist reportedly refused to watch footage of the October 7 atrocities carried out by Hamas.
Speaking from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport following her deportation from Israel, Ms Thunberg insisted she had been “kidnapped" and “interrogated” by Israeli authorities after her “Freedom Flotilla” was halted off the coast of Gaza.
See also: What happened to Greta Thunberg?
She told journalists in the French capital there had been a "major issue with people getting to talk to lawyers", but vowed: "What is certain is that we will not stop. We are going to continue try to do everything we can because that is the promise that we have given to to Palestinians.”
On her treatment by Israeli officials, Ms Thunberg added: "People were not being treated well. I was not able to to say goodbye to people and I don't know what's happening."
When asked to elaborate, she said: "Obviously in a very dehumanising way. But of course, I have to stress nothing compared to what Palestinians are going through.”
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz had instructed the IDF to show Ms Thunberg and other members of her group unedited bodycam footage from October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and took a further 250 hostage.
He said: “Greta and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival to the screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre... when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching.
“The anti-Semitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children.”
He pledged the Israeli military “will continue its just and moral fight against the Hamas murderers until their defeat, the release of all hostages, and the full restoration of Israel's security”.
A number of activists who were detained along with Ms Thunberg as they attempted to reach besieged Gaza by boat are also set to be deported to their home countries.
It comes after their vessel was seized by the Israeli military in the early hours of Monday and towed to the Ashdod port in Israel.
“Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorise their deportation,” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X.
The UK-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
The FCC earlier said the volunteers were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.
Sharing an image of Ms Thunberg on Monday, the Israel Foreign Ministry shortly said the boat had docked in Ashdod “a short while ago” and that passengers were "currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health".
The ‘Selfie Yacht’ docked at Ashdod Port a short while ago. The passengers are currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health. pic.twitter.com/dGOhPxQnYI
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025
Mr Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
Israel claims the “celebrities” have played into the hands of Hamas with their “stunt”.
All passengers were safe and unharmed, Israel later added. “They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Ms Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
“The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am," Ms Hassan said on Thursday. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.
The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza.
“The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” it wrote.
In a statement, the FFC accused Israel of “forcibly intercepting” the Madleen and acting with “total impunity”.
It said that at 3am local time, the ship was “unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated.”
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen,” said Huwaida Arraf, a Freedom Flotilla organiser.
“These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalised for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade — their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”
Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.
The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Gaza's health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine.
The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.
