Israel has deported 171 passengers from the Global Sumud Flotilla—including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg—to Greece and Slovakia, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated on Oct. 6.
The ministry stated that the deportees were citizens of Greece, Italy, France, the UK, and the United States, among other countries.
While the organizers of the convoy, which carried European activists, lawmakers, and humanitarian workers, said they were attempting a “peaceful civilian mission” to deliver aid to Gaza, the ministry described the flotilla as a provocation and claimed that some organizers had ties to terrorist groups, including Hamas.
Israel has repeatedly warned that it wouldn’t allow the flotilla to breach the naval blockade of Gaza or allow activists to enter an active combat zone. It intercepted all vessels in the convoy last week.
The ministry shared images of Thunberg and other flotilla passengers at the airport before they were deported. The ministry rejected claims regarding the treatment of Thunberg and other detainees as “brazen lies.”
“All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld. The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign,” the ministry stated.
“The only violent incident came from a Hamas-Sumud provocateur who bit a female medical staff member of Ketsiyot Prison.”
This follows allegations by lawyer Lubna Tuma, who represents activists detained from the Global Sumud Flotilla, that they were mistreated and denied basic human rights.
The ministry stated on Oct. 5 that Thunberg and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their stay in custody.
“Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations—because they never occurred,” the ministry stated.
Deportations Amid Peace Talks
Israel announced further deportations in recent days, including 137 activists sent to Turkey on Oct. 4 and another 29 flown to Spain on Oct. 5. Some foreign governments, it stated, had shown reluctance to accept deportation flights.
The latest expulsions come as Israeli, Hamas, U.S., and Qatari delegations prepare to meet in Egypt on Oct. 6 to discuss a proposed U.S. peace plan for Gaza.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas-led terrorists launched a large-scale attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 civilians and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza.
The death toll in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, has risen to more than 66,000 to date. That number does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Epoch Times is unable to verify that figure.
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