Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel after the boat she was travelling on was intercepted by Israeli forces – the Mirror looks at who else joined the young activist on the ‘freedom flotilla’
Activist Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel after the vessel she was travelling on to deliver aid like baby formula and rice to the Gaza Strip was intercepted by Israeli forces, and taken to Ashdod port.
Dubbed the ‘selfie yacht’ by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greta and 11 other activists were attempting to break the naval blockade and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, when the vessel – the Madleen, which was reportedly sailing under a British flag – was intercepted.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – who organised the voyage – said that the Madleen was “unlawfully boarded” and that doing so was a breach of international law, something the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly denied.
“The maritime zone off the coast of Gaza is closed to unauthorised vessels under a legal naval blockade, consistent with international law. The yacht is claiming that it is delivering humanitarian aid. In fact, it is a media gimmick for publicity (which includes less than a single truckload of aid) – a ‘selfie yacht’,” a spokesperson said.
“The Gaza maritime zone remains an active conflict area, and Hamas has previously exploited sea routes for terrorist attacks, including the October 7 massacre. Unauthorised attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts,” they added.
Donald Trump took aim at the young activist, calling Greta a “strange person” and saying that she needs “anger management classes”. However, the US President also said: “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg. Is that what she said? She was kidnapped by Israel?”
The FFC has organised many attempted voyages to Gaza, with one in May ending after the vessel was allegedly attacked by two drones. Greta said before setting sail about the journey: “We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity.
“No matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocided”.
The Mirror takes a look at who else set sail on the FFC voyage and was detained alongside Greta Thunberg.
Rima Hassan
Rima Hassan is a French member of the European Parliament (MEP), she was born in Syria to a family of Palestinian refugees, and is reported to be banned from entering Israel.
She was refused entry to the country at the Ben-Gurion airport earlier this year, due to her opposition to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and for promoting boycotts against the country. The 33-year-old left-wing politician said in a video recorded ahead of the vessel’s interception: “We count on your mobilisation to put pressure on the French government to demand our release.”
Yasemin Acar
Yasemin Acar, 37, is a German citizen with Kurdish parents who came from Turkey, and she has worked extensively helping Ukrainian refugees in Germany since the war with Russia began, creating Berlin Arrival Support. She has even advised the Berlin Senate on how to deal with refugees.
Yasemin has been a “vocal advocate” for Palestine for a long time, according to the FFC website, and has organised a number of demonstrations on the issue.
Omar Faiad
Journalist Omar Faiad works for Al Jazeera Mubasher – a Middle Eastern 24-hour news channel – and is reported to have been onboard the vessel to report on the activists’ journey. The release of the French journalist has been called for by Reporters Without Borders, (RSF) who strongly objected to the detainment, calling it an “attack on journalism”.
Yanis Mhamdi
Another French journalist reporting from the vessel, Yanis Mhamdi was also detained by Israel. Yanis works for the website Blast and said on his social media shortly before Madleen was intercepted: “I am a journalist and my arrest by the Israeli army is imminent. I call on all journalists to mobilise.”
The RSF also “firmly condemn” Yanis being held, saying in a statement about the two journalists: “Boarding a civilian vessel in international waters to intercept a crew that included two French journalists documenting a peaceful humanitarian initiative is not only illegal, but constitutes a serious violation of international law and press freedom.”
Thiago Avila
Brazilian Thiago Avila, 37, was also on board the vessel and is a steering member of the FFC. He coordinates the organisation’s Brazilian arm and he has been campaigning for Palestine for 19 years, with a focus on creating humanitarian corridors for aid since 2023 – and has a six-month-old daughter.
Other passengers
There were six other passengers onboard the Madleen – who the FFC refers to as volunteers. This included three other people from France – Baptiste Andrew, Pascal Maurieras, and Reva Viard – Mark van Riennes from the Netherlands, Suayb Ordu from Turkey, and a Spanish citizen, Sergio Toribio.
Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham was initially reported to be taking part in the Flotilla too, but has not been named as one of the passengers on Greta’s boat.