Israel has deported 171 additional foreign activists, including Swedish climate campaigner, Greta Thunberg, who were detained after Israeli forces intercepted a flotilla attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid last week.
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the activists were flown to Greece and Slovakia. Nationals from Greece, Slovakia, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States were among those deported.
The ministry shared images of Thunberg dressed in a grey tracksuit walking through an airport.
This latest wave of deportations brings the total to 341 of the more than 470 individuals aboard the 42 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which organizers said aimed to challenge the blockade on Gaza, establish a humanitarian corridor, and protest what they described as ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
The flotilla organizers argued that Israel’s interception violated international maritime and humanitarian law.
Israel, however, maintained that its naval blockade is legal and dismissed the flotilla as a “PR stunt.”
Authorities also denied activists’ claims of mistreatment or denial of basic rights during detention, labeling such reports as “fake news.”
