Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat

The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there

Greta Thunberg talks to reporters in Paris airport
Greta Thunberg talks to reporters in Paris airport
(Image credit: Hugo Mathy / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Israel Tuesday deported Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and three fellow passengers on a boat seized Monday while trying to deliver a symbolic amount of food and medical aid to the Gaza Strip to highlight Israel's longtime blockade of the Palestinian enclave and the growing humanitarian crisis there. Eight other shipmates refused to sign deportation documents and were being held in an Israeli prison awaiting court hearings.

Who said what

Israel committed "an illegal act by kidnapping us on international waters and against our will, bringing us to Israel," Thunberg, 22, said after landing at a Paris airport Tuesday. Spanish activist Sergio Toribio, deported to Barcelona, called Israel's commandeering of the British-flagged yacht the Madleen a "pirate attack in international waters." Israel dismissed the aid mission as a "selfie yacht" publicity stunt.

President Donald Trump on Monday called Thunberg a "young angry person" and dismissed her abduction claim, telling reporters that "Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg." Thunberg responded yesterday: "I think the world needs a lot more young angry women."

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What next?

Another 36 Palestinians were killed while trying to access food aid in Gaza Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry and local hospitals said. In all, "at least 163 people have been killed and 1,495 wounded in a number of shootings near aid sites" set up by the controversial U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation after Israel eased its full aid blockade last month, The Associated Press said. Israel's military has "acknowledged firing warning shots."

Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.