Greta Thunberg held in Israeli prison, lawyer says, after ‘Freedom Flotilla’ intercepted by IDF

Activist Greta Thunberg is reportedly being held in an Israeli prison after IDF troops intercepted the Madleen, dubbed the Freedom Flotilla, in the Mediterranean Sea.

However Israel said on Tuesday activists from a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid boat have arrived at an airport for deportation.

“The passengers of the ‘Selfie Yacht’ arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,” the Israeli foreign ministry said on social media. “Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.”

Thunberg and her 11 other activists have refused to watch a 45-minute video of the Hamas atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 attack.

“Greta [Thunberg] and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre, and when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching,” Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

“The antisemitic 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 added.

The Madleen was planning to deliver aid to Gaza after setting sail from Sicily. The “Selfie Yacht”, as it has been dubbed by Israel, carried Ms Thunberg, 22, along with 11 other activist and arrived in Ashdod on Monday after IDF commandos took control of the vessel.

Ms Thunberg’s lawyer claims the activist, along with at least five other people that were on the boat, are now in an immigration jail, where they will be held until they face court.

“We demand information about the whereabouts of our clients and the right to meet them,” lawyer Nariman Shehade Zoabi told Expressen

“Based on previous experiences, Greta Thunberg and the others will be taken to Givon Prison near the town of Ramle.

“There, what are called illegal immigrants are detained and there is a court that can quickly decide on deportation,”she said.

“Those arrested are not illegal immigrants at all. They were on their way to Gaza, not to Israel. The military has forced them to Israel against their will,” she continued.

Ms Thunberg says she has been “intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces.”

On arrival, the activists were handed over to the police and prison authorities to be “medically examined and registered”.

Early on Tuesday Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted a picture of Ms Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila beside an Israeli flag on the dock, and said the ship’s passengers and crew were being checked to ensure they were 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,” the foreign ministry said.

Asked about claims Israel had “kidnapped” the activists US President Donald Trump said: “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.”

“I think she has to go to anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her. I don’t know if it’s real anger.”

Ms Thurnberg’s exact whereabouts are currently unknown, however, reports suggest she may be in a detention camp.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to quickly free activists after angry protests in several European cities.

Mr Macron meanwhile urged the immediate liberation of French nationals among the 12 activists on the vessel.

Macron had “requested that the six French nationals be allowed to return to France as soon as possible,” his office said.

France was “vigilant” and “stands by all its nationals when they are in danger,” he added. The French government had also called on Israel to ensure the “protection” of the activists. Macron also called the humanitarian blockade of Gaza “a scandal” and a “disgrace”.

In a statement earlier on Monday, the FFC said the Madleen had “been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military” in international waters.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies - confiscated,” the FFC said in a statement.

FFC organiser Huwaida Arraf said Israel had no legal authority to detain those aboard the ship.

“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,” Arraf said.

“We are undeterred. We will sail again. We will not stop until the siege ends and Palestine is free,” the FFC said.

The activists argue that Israel must guarantee unhindered humanitarian access to the coastal strip.

- with Deutsche Presse Agentur