Greta Thunberg, Brazilian Thiago Ávila and other activists will be deported, says Israel, for taking aid to Gaza by boat

Israel's Foreign Ministry said it will deport Greta Thunberg, Brazilian Thiago Ávila and others linked to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition — which fights against Israel's blockade of Gaza.

The boat is on its way to Israel “safely,” Israeli officials said. “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they don’t involve Instagram selfies,” the ministry said. The defense minister announced that the boat would be taken to the port city of Ashdod.

The activists were detained by Israeli soldiers as they tried to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Monday (9/6).

Hamas called the interception a "flagrant violation of international law."

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says aid is desperately needed and accuses Israel of genocide — an allegation Israel has repeatedly denied.

Earlier, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition posted a photo showing people wearing life jackets sitting with their hands raised.

Shortly afterwards, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that the boat was "sailing safely towards the coast of Israel", that the passengers were "unharmed" and that they should be "repatriated to their home countries".

Israeli media reported that the ship had arrived in the city of Ashdod. There, activists would be shown videos of Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were kidnapped.

In a statement, Itamaraty said that "the Brazilian government is closely monitoring" the interception of the vessel, and "urged" Israel to release the activists.

"Recalling the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters, Brazil urges the Israeli government to release the detained crew members," the note says.

In the same statement, the Brazilian government advocated that Israel "immediately remove all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory, in accordance with its obligations as an occupying power."

"The Embassies in the region are on alert to, if necessary, provide appropriate consular assistance, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," concludes the Itamaraty note.

'Selfie yacht'

Israel's foreign ministry referred to the Madleen as a "celebrity selfie yacht" and posted photos and videos on its social media channels of Freedom Flotilla activists wearing life jackets and receiving food and water.

Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, who is among those detained, posted a video on Instagram that appears to have been recorded before the Israeli detention.

"I am Thiago Ávila, I am a Brazilian citizen and member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and if you are watching this video, it means that I was arrested or kidnapped by Israel or some other complicit force in the Mediterranean on our journey to Gaza to break the blockade," he says in the video.

According to the organization's website, Ávila is 37 years old and has already participated in other humanitarian missions — the most recent being to Cuba, in 2024. On his Instagram, he has been posting photos and videos of the Madleen boat.

Greta Thunberg, 22, is one of the world's best-known activists for her work against climate change, especially for her influence among young people.

In 2018, at the age of 15, the Swedish girl held the first "School Strike for Climate" in front of the parliament in Stockholm. The protest was widely covered, and hundreds of thousands of young people around the world joined her strikes called Fridays for Future.

Since then, Thunberg has been arrested several times for her participation in environmental protests around the world and fined by the Swedish courts.

Israel's foreign ministry criticized the group, saying they "attempted to stage a media provocation with the sole purpose of gaining notoriety, which included less than a truckload of humanitarian aid."

"There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip; not with selfies on Instagram," he said.

Israel's foreign ministry said the navy instructed the ship to change course "due to the approach of a restricted area." Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent weapons reaching Hamas militants in Gaza.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, told the BBC that the boat had suffered three incidents on its way to Gaza.

Albanese says he was in contact with the boat during the journey and that it was scheduled to arrive in Gaza on Monday.

But communications were cut off while the Madleen was still in international waters, she says.

“First, they were surrounded by speedboats,” she says. “That was the first time I heard their stress.”

After the speedboats left and the situation calmed down, Albanese says two aircraft dropped a substance on the boat.

Albanese claims he was in contact with the boat's crew at the time Israeli soldiers boarded the boat and "communications with the captain were abruptly cut off."

Hamas said the interception of the Madleen was a "flagrant violation of international law."

In a statement, the Palestinian armed group demanded the release of the activists on board and held Israel "fully responsible for their safety."

Hamas called on the United Nations and other international organizations to "condemn this crime and take urgent measures to break the siege on our people."

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition describes itself as a "people-to-people solidarity movement" that "is working to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza."

Formed in 2010, the coalition claims to work with "civil society partners" and not with any party, faction or government.

The Madleen — named after Gaza’s first and only female fisherman — left Italy on June 1 with the aim of raising awareness about food shortages in Gaza.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the ship is carrying a token amount of aid, including rice and baby formula. Israel says the ship is carrying "less than a truckload of aid."

Symbolic humanitarian aid

The Freedom Flotilla organization said the ship, which set sail from Sicily on Sunday, June 1, was carrying humanitarian aid and was "prepared for the possibility of an Israeli attack."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the ship needed to return and that Israel would act against any attempt to break the blockade.

In a post on X on Sunday, Katz wrote: "I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to act and prevent the 'Madleen' hate flotilla from reaching the coast of Gaza and to take all necessary measures to do so."

Katz says the aim of the Israeli blockade, in place since 2007, is to "prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas" and that it is essential for the security of Israel, which seeks to destroy the group.

The organization maintains that the sea blockade of Gaza is illegal and called Katz's statement an example of Israel threatening the unlawful use of force against civilians and "attempting to justify such violence with slander."

"We will not be intimidated. The world is watching," said Hay Sha Wiya, a spokeswoman for the Flotilla.

"The Madleen is a civilian vessel, unarmed and sailing in international waters, carrying humanitarian aid and human rights defenders from around the world... Israel has no right to obstruct our efforts to reach Gaza."

According to the group, the Madleen was carrying a symbolic amount of aid, including rice and baby milk powder.

On board are citizens of Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Türkiye.

In 2010, Israeli soldiers killed 10 people when they boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was leading a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for Gaza.

Israel recently allowed limited aid into Gaza after a three-month ground blockade, prioritizing distribution through the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, which is backed by Israel and the US but widely rejected by humanitarian groups.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said last week that Palestinians face "the bleakest choice: starve to death or risk being killed while trying to access the scarce food available."

Nearly 20 months have passed since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Since then, at least 54,880 people have died in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.