Greta Thunberg deported, Israel says, after Gaza aid boat intercepted

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Israel says it has begun to deport 12 pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, whose Gaza-bound aid boat was seized by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean on Monday.

The Israeli foreign ministry said Thunberg departed Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning on a flight to France after she agreed to be deported.

But France said five of the six French activists had refused to sign their deportation orders and would now be brought before an Israeli judicial authority.

Their yacht, the Madleen, was intercepted while they tried to deliver a "symbolic" amount of aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel's naval blockade to highlight the humanitarian crisis there.



The Israeli foreign ministry dismissed it as a "selfie yacht", and announced on Monday night that the activists had been transferred to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport following their arrival at the port of Ashdod on Monday night.

"Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation," it said in a post on X.

On Tuesday morning, the ministry said Greta Thunberg had "just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France)", and posted a photo of her sitting on a plane.

France's Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, earlier wrote on X: "Our consul was able to see the six French nationals arrested by the Israeli authorities last night."

"One of them has agreed to leave voluntarily and should return today. The other five will be subject to forced deportation proceedings."

Barrot did not identify them, but the six French citizens include MEP Rima Hassan and Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad.

As well as France and Sweden, citizens of Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey were on board the Madleen.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group operating the yacht, said in a statement on Monday night that it expected any of the passengers who refused the deportation orders to be transferred to Ramle prison, near Tel Aviv.