Israel deports Swedish activist after Gaza-bound aid boat intercepted

JERUSALEM, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel deported Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, a day after she and 11 other activists were detained by Israeli forces while attempting to breach the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip aboard an aid boat.

"Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France)," the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on social media platform X. The ministry released two photos of her, one boarding the plane with her hands behind her back and another seated inside.

State broadcaster Kan reported that Thunberg, 22, and other activists were taken to Ben Gurion Airport for deportation. According to the report, Thunberg was seated "in a back seat without the ability to recline."

Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel confirmed several activists were taken to the airport for deportation, and said he had "instructed that all 12 participants in the flotilla be returned to their countries of origin."

"Israel will not allow its sovereignty to be harmed through protest flotilla provocations at its borders," Arbel said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry said activists who agreed to sign documents stating they voluntarily agree to leave Israel were expected to leave the country by flights on Tuesday. Those who refused would be brought before a judicial authority to authorize their deportation, according to the ministry.

Consular officials from the activists' home countries met them at the airport, the ministry said.

Adalah, an Israel-based legal rights group representing the activists, said four agreed to immediate repatriation, while the remaining eight are contesting their deportation orders. They would be held in a detention center pending a court hearing. The timing of the hearing was not immediately clear.

According to Adalah, after the Israeli forces seized the boat Madleen early on Monday, the people on board were held at sea for hours before being brought to Ashdod port after nightfall.

Israel intercepted the charity vessel in international waters and escorted it to Ashdod, the largest port in Israel, a move the Freedom Flotilla Coalition described as illegal and called a "kidnapping." The vessel was reportedly carrying humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, intended for Gaza.

The incident came about a month after another flotilla vessel, Conscience, was damaged in an alleged drone strike in international waters near Malta.

Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas took control of the enclave. Restrictions were further tightened following Hamas's cross-border attack in October 2023.

The Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza's infrastructure and pushed its more than 2 million residents into a deep humanitarian crisis. UN agencies warn of an impending famine, with the entire population facing acute food insecurity.