Greta Thunberg among dozens set to leave Israel after Gaza flotilla detention

TEL AVIV: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is among more than 70 foreign nationals expected to depart Israel on Monday, days after being detained during a sea mission aimed at delivering aid to Gaza.

The individuals were aboard the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” a convoy of 45 vessels carrying activists and political figures who sought to challenge Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. The flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters last Wednesday, preventing over 400 passengers from reaching the besieged territory, where the United Nations has warned of widespread famine.

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Governments involved confirmed on Sunday that most of their citizens detained by Israel will be flown to Athens, Greece, before returning home. This group includes 28 French nationals, 27 Greeks, 15 Italians, and nine Swedes. Spanish authorities said 21 of their citizens had already flown back to Spain, though 28 Spaniards reportedly remain in Israeli custody.

Swedish officials did not confirm flight plans for the nine Swedes, including Thunberg, but local media indicated they may also travel to Greece before heading home. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said Swedish consular staff had visited the detainees and were informed that they would be permitted to leave on Monday.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the 15 Italians set to leave would be supported in traveling onward to Italy from Athens. Another group of 26 Italians had already returned home on Saturday, though reports emerged that some had refused to sign voluntary departure forms, delaying their release.

Multiple activists have alleged mistreatment while in Israeli custody. Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi, who was among those detained, said he was struck on the head and back and described the group’s treatment as “like old monkeys in the worst circuses of the 1920s.” Spain’s Rafael Borrego also claimed detainees were subjected to repeated physical and psychological abuse.

The flotilla’s interception and the detentions have drawn international scrutiny, especially as humanitarian concerns grow in Gaza. Despite the release of many detainees, the fate of several foreign nationals still held in Israel remains uncertain.

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Two activists who were detained during the Gaza aid flotilla, Hazwani Helmi of Malaysia and Windfield Beaver from the United States, alleged at the airport that they witnessed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg being mistreated by Israeli authorities. According to Helmi, 28, detainees were “treated like animals,” denied clean food and water, and had their personal belongings and medications confiscated. He claimed Thunberg was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.

Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was “treated terribly” and accused Israeli officials of using her for propaganda purposes. He described seeing her pushed into a room around the time Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, arrived.

A Swedish government official later said another detainee had informed their embassy that Thunberg was allegedly made to pose with Israeli flags while photos were taken, and she was unsure whether the images had been circulated.

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The claims were echoed by at least two other released flotilla participants. Turkish activist Ersin Çelik, speaking to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, alleged that Thunberg was dragged by her hair, beaten, and forced to kiss the Israeli flag in front of others – treatment he described as intended to intimidate fellow activists.