On October 6, 2025, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg landed in Athens, Greece, following her deportation from Israel alongside 170 other campaigners from the Global Sumud Flotilla. The group, representing a sweeping cross-section of nations—including Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and the United States—had set sail from Barcelona in early September with a singular mission: to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to its besieged population.
As Thunberg and her fellow activists disembarked at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, they were met by crowds of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting, “Freedom for Palestine!” and “Long live the flotilla!” The atmosphere was electric, with supporters eager to hear from the 22-year-old campaigner whose activism has become a global touchstone. Thunberg, her voice steady but impassioned, declared to the press, “That this mission has to exist, it’s a shame! It is a shame!” She continued, “I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me, but that is not the story.” Instead, she urged the world to focus on what she described as the ongoing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. “We cannot take our eyes away from Gaza,” Thunberg insisted, calling on world leaders and citizens alike to end their “complicity.”
The flotilla’s journey—and its abrupt end—has sparked demonstrations in cities around the world, amplifying calls for urgent humanitarian intervention in Gaza. According to the Associated Press, the interception of the aid convoy by Israeli forces led to the detention of more than 470 activists, with deportations beginning as early as October 2. By October 6, Israel’s foreign ministry reported that a total of 341 activists had been expelled, including the 171 most recently sent to Greece and Slovakia. Greek officials confirmed that 161 activists, including 27 Greeks and 134 nationals from 15 other countries, arrived in Athens on a special flight. Slovakia’s government received ten deportees, among them citizens from the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States.
Despite the celebratory mood in Athens, harrowing accounts have emerged from those detained. Several activists, including Thunberg, alleged mistreatment at the hands of Israeli authorities. Turkish journalist and flotilla participant Ersin Celik recounted to local media that Thunberg was “dragged on the ground” and “forced to kiss the Israeli flag.” French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan told AFP she was beaten by two police officers after the flotilla’s interception. “I was beaten by two police officers when they put me in the van,” Hassan said, also describing crowded conditions in high-security prison cells. Spanish activist Rafael Borrego, upon arriving in Madrid, described “repeated physical and mental abuse,” claiming, “They beat us, dragged us along the ground, blindfolded us, tied our hands and feet, put us in cages and insulted us.” Swiss nationals returning to Geneva echoed these reports, citing “inhumane detention conditions and the humiliating and degrading treatment.”
North African activists reported even harsher treatment. Houssem Eddine Rmedi, a dual Tunisian-Belgian citizen, told AP, “When I showed my Belgian passport their behavior towards me changed completely.” Moroccan activist Ayoub Habraoui added, “The moment you show your Tunisian, Algerian or Moroccan passport, they start beating you,” describing being kept kneeling under the sun for nearly six hours. As of October 6, about 150 activists remained in Israel’s Ktziot prison, including Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela. Forty detainees, many of them Tunisians, were on hunger strike, some refusing food and water until medical treatment was provided to all detainees. “Some stated that they prefer that their food go to the people in Gaza,” explained Lubna Tuma, a lawyer with the Adalah association representing the detained activists.
Israeli authorities have vigorously denied all accusations of mistreatment, labeling such claims “fake news” and asserting that detainees’ legal rights “were and will continue to be fully upheld.” The Israeli foreign ministry stated that the only violent incident involved a Spanish citizen biting a female medical worker during a routine examination. Israeli officials have characterized the flotilla as a “publicity stunt,” pointing out that the convoy carried only two tons of aid and asserting that its interception was in accordance with international law. Israel maintains that its blockade is legal and necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, the Palestinian militant group controlling Gaza. It has also rejected mounting international accusations of genocide, including those from a recent UN commission of inquiry.
The Global Sumud Flotilla’s mission was explicitly humanitarian, according to its organizers. The group stated its aim was to “break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.” The urgency of their cause was underscored by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which confirmed famine in Gaza City and warned of its imminent spread to central and southern Gaza. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported at least 460 deaths from malnutrition since the war’s onset in October 2023, including 182 since the famine declaration. The UN has repeatedly called on Israel to lift the blockade and allow life-saving aid into Gaza, asserting that as the occupying power, Israel is obliged under international law to ensure adequate food and medical supplies reach the population.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began in response to a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, the Gaza health ministry estimates at least 67,160 people have been killed in Israeli attacks. Israel disputes these figures and the characterization of its actions, insisting it acts in accordance with international law and facilitates the entry of humanitarian aid.
As the world watches, the fate of the remaining 138 detained activists—and the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza—remains uncertain. Governments whose citizens were involved in the flotilla continue to coordinate with Israeli authorities for further releases and repatriations. South Africa, for instance, announced that its citizens would be released and repatriated via Jordan on October 7. Meanwhile, Thunberg and her fellow campaigners, now free, continue to use their voices to demand action, insisting the world cannot look away from Gaza’s suffering.
The events surrounding the Global Sumud Flotilla have reignited urgent debates over the legality of the Gaza blockade, the responsibilities of occupying powers, and the role of international activism in times of crisis. For many, the story is far from over—and the eyes of the world remain fixed on Gaza and those who risked their freedom to bring it aid.
