Thunberg is currently on her way back to Sweden via France, the Israeli ministry said on Tuesday,
After Israeli naval forces detained climate activist Greta Thunberg and other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat, the Swedish government distanced itself from the incident, stating that Thunberg and her team were fully aware of the risks involved.
“A great responsibility rests on those who choose to travel contrary to the advice given to a place,” Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said outside the Swedish parliament, as protestors gathered in Stockholm to demand an intervention, reports PTI.
She said the ministry assesses that no one was in danger and there was no need for consular support. “If she needs consular support, we will do everything we can, just as we do with all Swedish citizens,” she told reporters.
Greta Thunberg departs to Sweden, says Israel
Thunberg is currently on her way back to Sweden via France, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, June 10. In a post on X, Israel’s Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Thunberg on a plane, saying that she was headed for France.
Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza. They had set out to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid. Both have put the territory of around 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyage, said the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid.
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies, confiscated,” it said in a statement.
The 12 activists underwent medical checks to ensure they are in good health, the ministry said.
Greta needs anger management class: Trump
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump “suggested” activist Greta Thunberg should take anger management classes. “I think she has to go to anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her,” he told reporters at the White House.
“She is a young, angry person. I don’t know if it’s real anger,” he added.
‘It’s Instagram activism,’ Israel on activists’ effort to reach Gaza
“This wasn’t humanitarian aid. It’s Instagram activism,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. “Meanwhile, Israel has delivered over 1,200 truckloads in the last two weeks. So who’s really feeding Gaza and who’s really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.”
After its two-and-a-half month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. About 600 trucks of aid entered daily during the ceasefire that Israel ended in March.
Blockade on Gaza amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s population
Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s Palestinian population.
Israel sealed off Gaza from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, but later relented under US pressure. In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas still holds 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said that women and children make up most of the dead.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 per cent of the population, leaving people almost completely dependent on international aid.
Efforts to broker another truce have been deadlocked for months. Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated, or disarmed and exiled.
