Israel deports 171 activists, including Greta Thunberg, involved in a Gaza-bound flotilla it says was orchestrated to aid Hamas propaganda.
In a decisive move defending its maritime sovereignty, Israel announced Monday (October 6, 2025) the deportation of 171 foreign activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who were detained after joining the so-called “Hamas-Sumud” flotilla — an operation the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned as a “provocation disguised as humanitarian aid.”
In an official statement on X, the ministry said:
“171 additional provocateurs from the Hamas-Sumud flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, were deported today from Israel to Greece and Slovakia.”
The deported activists held citizenships from Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, and the United States, among others. Israeli authorities accused the flotilla organizers of attempting to breach Israel’s lawful maritime blockade of Gaza, a security measure recognized by international law and essential for preventing the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Hamas.
Among those detained were 19 Swiss nationals, including former Geneva mayor Rémy Pagani, who were intercepted by the Israeli Navy last Wednesday when their vessels attempted to force entry into restricted waters. The flotilla was part of a campaign branded “Waves of Freedom,” which Israeli officials say is backed by anti-Israel NGOs and Hamas-aligned groups.
Upon their return to Geneva, some activists claimed “inhumane conditions” during their detention at Israel’s Ktzi’ot prison, accusations which the Israeli Foreign Ministry flatly rejected as “complete lies.”
“All detainees were treated in accordance with international law, provided food, water, medical attention, and access to consular assistance,” the ministry said. “No physical force was used. The only force present was the rule of law.”
Analysts in Jerusalem noted that Greta Thunberg’s participation in the flotilla marks a new low in the exploitation of humanitarian rhetoric for political theater. “These so-called activists have chosen to side with Hamas propaganda rather than the innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians suffering under its terror regime,” said one senior diplomatic source.
Israel’s security establishment emphasized that the Gaza maritime blockade remains a vital security necessity, blocking Iranian-supplied arms from reaching Hamas. “No Western democracy would tolerate an armed terror enclave off its coast,” an IDF spokesperson stated.
The deportations, carried out under close international scrutiny, underscore Israel’s zero-tolerance policy toward foreign provocation masquerading as peace activism.
