Israel Deports More Global Sumud Flotilla Activists, Including Greta Thunberg
The Humanitarian activists denounce Israeli brutality as new testimonies expose abuse, humiliation, and inhumane detention conditions
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM — The Israeli occupation has deported more international activists it had abducted during a violent attack in international waters on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities announced on Monday the deportation of another 171 detainees, bringing the total number expelled to 341 out of 479. The flotilla had sought to break the illegal blockade on Gaza and deliver vital medical and food supplies to its starving population.
Among the deported were Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and dozens of humanitarian campaigners from across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Greta Thunberg: “There Is a Genocide Going On”
Arriving at Athens International Airport, Thunberg was met with crowds waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Freedom for Palestine” and “Long live the flotilla!”
In her address, Thunberg delivered a sharp rebuke of Israel’s actions and the silence of global institutions:
“Let me be very clear. There is a genocide going on,” she declared.
“Our international systems are betraying Palestinians. They are not even able to prevent the worst war crimes from happening.”
She emphasized that the flotilla’s mission was a response to the moral failure of governments to act:
“What we aimed to do with the Global Sumud Flotilla was to step up when our governments failed to do their legal obligation.”
Abuse, Beatings, and Humiliation in Israeli Custody
Multiple testimonies from freed participants reveal a pattern of abuse and humiliation at the hands of Israeli forces.
Turkish journalist Ersin Çelik, who was aboard the flotilla, said that Israeli soldiers dragged Greta Thunberg by her hair, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag in an act of psychological torture.
Malaysian activist Hazwani Helmi and American participant Windfield Beaver described similar treatment.
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, recounting how detainees were denied food, clean water, and medical care during their detention.
Freed Swiss and Spanish activists reported being held in inhumane conditions, while Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said that Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and mocked detainees, “treating them like monkeys.”
The Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard called reports of Thunberg’s mistreatment “very serious if confirmed.”
Rima Hassan: “I Was Beaten by Israeli Police”
Among those deported was Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament (MEP), who confirmed she was beaten by Israeli police following her arrest.
“I was beaten by two police officers when they put me in the van,” she told AFP.
She added that detainees were held 15 to a cell on bare mattresses in a high-security prison, echoing long-standing reports of abuse inside Israeli detention facilities.
Israeli Piracy and the Global Reaction
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona, Spain, in early September, was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters, an act widely condemned as state piracy and a violation of international maritime law.
Over 40 vessels were seized, and nearly 500 activists were arrested. Many were transferred to Ketziot Prison, a facility in the Negev Desert infamous for torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees.
Mass rallies erupted across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, condemning the Zionist regime’s aggression and demanding accountability for its continued attacks on humanitarian missions.
Gaza: Starvation and Genocide
Since October 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza, more than 67,000 Palestinians — the vast majority women and children — have been killed.
At least 460 Palestinians, including 154 children, have died of hunger as Israel continues to block food, water, and medical aid from entering the enclave.
The Hamas resistance movement condemned the flotilla attack, calling it “a war crime committed in international waters against civilians trying to deliver aid to a besieged people.”
Despite arrests, torture, and deportations, the Global Sumud Flotilla has already achieved its goal: exposing Israeli brutality and rekindling international solidarity with the people of Gaza. (PW)