by Temitope Oladeji
10/6/2025
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and three others have been deported by Israel, just a day after Israeli forces seized the Madleen, a humanitarian aid vessel en route to the Gaza Strip to provide humanitarian relief to the impoverished Gaza residents.
Thunberg was part of a 12-member crew attempting to deliver essential supplies to the besieged enclave.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Thunberg’s departure early Tuesday from Tel Aviv, with a flight to Sweden via France. Photos of her aboard the flight were published by the ministry.
Upon landing at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Thunberg described the experience as a “kidnapping in international waters.”
“She clearly looked very tired and was still wearing the same clothes she had on during her detention,” said one of the journalists who interviewed her at the airport.
Thunberg told reporters she was “OK” but said she and her companions were treated in a “dehumanising way” by Israeli Defense Forces.
Legal advocacy group Adalah, representing Thunberg, the other activists, and a journalist on board the Madleen, stated that four of the crew, Thunberg among them, agreed to deportation.
The rest remain in Israeli custody and are expected to appear before a judge.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that five French nationals, including Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, were among those facing deportation.
According to French lawmaker Clémence Guetté, Hassan refused to sign a document asserting she had entered Israeli territory illegally.
The incident has sparked widespread protests in France and beyond.
Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen early Monday morning, at approximately 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) off Gaza’s coast, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the mission.
The ship, escorted by the Israeli navy, was taken to the port of Ashdod later that day.
The Madleen was carrying humanitarian cargo, including rice and baby formula aimed at drawing attention to Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
On Tuesday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirmed the identities and statuses of those on board.
The United Nations has warned of “catastrophic hunger” facing Gaza’s entire population.
Nearly two years of war, combined with over two months of severe Israeli restrictions on aid, have pushed conditions in the enclave to dire levels.