Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by Israeli forces after a Gaza aid flotilla was intercepted. She remained in Israeli custody, where it is alleged by fellow activists aboard the flotilla that she faced “humiliating treatment” and used as “propaganda”.
Thunberg was aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which comprised over 40 vessels and over 500 participants from 44 countries. The flotilla is said to be the largest civilian-led maritime convoy in history, launching in July 2025 from 39 different countries. The GSF aimed to carry activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza, where it has now been confirmed by the World Health Organisation that an IPC Phase 5 famine is occurring, with more than 640,00 people facing a “catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
The organisers described the flotilla as “more than just a maritime movement”, it is “a global cry that Gaza is not alone, and that free people will not remain silent in the face of starvation and genocide.”
The first boats were intercepted by Israeli forces on 1st October, about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast in international waters and others closer, according to BBC News. An estimated 443 people were detained from the boats, among them Turkish journalist Ersin Celik, American singer Carsie Blanton and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
In the evening of the interception of the flotilla, spontaneous protests materialised to condemn the treatment of detained activists. These occurred around Europe in the Termini station in Rome, a university building in Turin, the Central Station in Berlin and Piccadilly Circus in London.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy” after releasing a video of her being detained on the social networking app, “X.”
However, reports of inhumane conditions have since emerged. The legal centre Adalah reported that detainees were allegedly kicked while trying to sleep, pushed around, and restrained with cables behind their backs for hours. Turkish TV presenter Ikbal Gürpınar described her experience as “inhuman” on CNN Turk’s live broadcast, saying: “They treated us like dogs,” and claimed she was so dehydrated she resorted to “drinking from the toilet.”
Among those detained is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who gained global attention in 2018 for pressuring governments to address climate change. According to an internal email from the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv, cited by The Guardian, Swedish officials met with Thunberg and confirmed she was dehydrated, had developed rashes from bedbugs, and had been forced to sit on hard surfaces for prolonged periods.
Speaking to CNN Turk, recently freed Turkish journalist and activist, Ersin Celik, made allegations about Thunberg’s treatment stating: “they tortured Greta very severely before our eyes”, ”making her crawl” and “forcing her to kiss the Israeli flag”.
Since her release from detention on Monday 6 October, Thunberg has described the treatment she endured while in custody, claiming the guards showed “no empathy or humanity.” She alleged that she was subjected to a series of humiliating actions, including being forced to “beg for water” and discovering the word “wh***” and explicit drawings scrawled on her suitcase by Israeli guards.
Speaking to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Thunberg said she was compelled to “wear or keep the Israeli flag around her at all times” and that she was “hit, kicked, and dragged.”
Israeli authorities have strongly denied Thunberg’s claims. In a statement to The Telegraph, the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the allegations as “ludicrous and baseless,” asserting that “these events simply never happened.”
York Vision has reached out to Greta Thunberg’s press team and the Israeli Embassy for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.