Israel has provided a new update following the detention of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was held after being intercepted while trying to reach Gaza on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Thunberg, along with more than 170 other activists, has now been deported, Israeli authorities confirmed on Monday, October
Photos released by Israeli officials show Thunberg and other activists in gray sweatsuits and white t-shirts, leaving the country under supervision.
According to multiple media reports, Greta Thunberg was flown out by plane and has now landed at Athens Airport in Greece, along with several other activists.
Israel insists that “all the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld,” calling previous claims of mistreatment part of a “pre-planned fake news campaign.”
Earlier reports claimed that Thunberg was kept in a bedbug-infested cell with limited food and water. According to correspondence seen by The Guardian, the Swedish foreign ministry said that an official who visited Thunberg noted she had been “sitting for long periods on hard surfaces” and had “developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs.”
The email also stated she suffered from dehydration and received insufficient food.
Thunberg had also reportedly been forced to hold flags for photos while in custody, though Israeli authorities strongly deny these claims, calling them “complete lies.”
The embassy said: “All detainees from the Hamas-Sumud provocation were given access to water, food and toilets; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights, including access to medical care, were fully upheld.”
The activist, 22, had attempted multiple times to enter Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid amid ongoing reports of malnutrition and disease in the territory due to the Israeli blockade.
She was among over 437 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers aboard more than 40 vessels aiming to bring aid. The flotilla was ultimately intercepted in international waters, and participants were held at Ketziot Prison in the Negev Desert before being deported.
While Thunberg’s supporters have described her detention as harsh and “propaganda-like,” Israeli officials maintain that all procedures were legal and that the activists’ rights were fully respected.
