Four of the activists are departing the country, including Greta Thunberg. However, eight have refused to leave and will be transferred to Givon detention facility.
(photo credit: Canva, screenshot via X/ section 27a copyright act)
Activists of the protest flotilla were brought to Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning, ready to depart from Israel. According to the Foreign Ministry, some of the activists will be deported in the coming hours.
“Anyone who refuses to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial body in accordance with Israeli law, in order to approve the deportation,” the Foreign Ministry clarified.
Four of the activists are departing the country, including Greta Thunberg. However, eight have refused to leave and will be transferred to Givon detention facility.
The activists were given the option to sign a voluntary departure form or face arrest after 96 hours. Among those refusing to leave is French MEP Rima Hassan.
Hassan has previously drawn wide criticism for her denial that the Bibas family, excluding Yarden Bibas, were murdered, her claim that the October 7 massacre was “legitimate” and her insistence that Palestinians in Europe should be allowed to join the “resistance.”
The German ambassador to Israel confirmed that a representative spoke with Yasemin Acar, a German national, ahead of the deportation. The German activist has previously made headlines for celebrating Iran’s attacks against Israel and for expressing solidarity with Hamas, according to KAN.
French officials said that six French nationals were aboard the vessel, and one has voluntarily agreed to leave the country, while the remaining will be deported following a judge’s order in the coming days.
The five remaining French nations are being held at the Ramle detention facility and a consular visit may be expected.
Educating the activists on October 7
Israeli authorities screened footage of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian flotilla participants upon their arrival in Ashdod on Monday, shortly after the IDF intercepted their ship, the Madleen, in international waters.
According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the activists refused to continue watching the film after seeing the brutality of the attacks.
“These antisemitic flotilla activists closed their eyes to the truth and once again proved they prefer the murderers over the victims,” Katz said. “They continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, the elderly, and children.”
The Madleen, carrying 12 pro-Palestinian activists and large amounts of humanitarian aid, was stopped early Monday morning by the Israeli Navy and brought to the port of Ashdod. Shortly before the activists’ deportation, Israel’s Foreign Ministry published a photo of Thunberg with an Israeli flag in the background.
Participants aboard the vessel included European Parliament member Rima Hassan, who previously justified the October 7 massacre; German activist Yasmin Achar; Irish actor Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones); and Thunberg.
What was the Gaza Freedom Flotilla?
The flotilla, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departed last week from Catania, Sicily, aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The ship was carrying medical supplies, flour, rice, diapers, water desalination kits, prosthetics for children, and other humanitarian aid.
During the journey, the activists diverted their route to rescue four migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.
As of Sunday, the vessel was reported to be about 402 kilometers from Gaza in international waters north of Alexandria. The IDF prepared in advance to intercept the ship before it could enter Israeli territorial waters; security officials emphasizing that the operation would be conducted with sensitivity to avoid escalation.
Katz had declared ahead of the operation that Israel would not allow the flotilla to reach Gaza. Following reports that the ship had lost radio signal while in Egyptian waters, the IDF carried out the interception.
“The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the maritime blockade on Gaza, whose primary goal is to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas—a murderous terrorist organization that holds our hostages and commits war crimes,” Katz said.
“I instructed the IDF to ensure the Madleen does not reach Gaza,” he continued, addressing Thunberg: “To Greta the antisemite and her Hamas propagandist friends—I say clearly: you will not reach Gaza. Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or support terror organizations—by sea, air, or land.”
The humanitarian flotilla was heavily promoted on social media as part of a broader effort to raise international awareness of the situation in Gaza.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Thunberg said: “We hope to reach Gaza tomorrow or the next day. We are carrying humanitarian aid and will do our utmost to get through. We will try to break the blockade and open humanitarian corridors into Gaza. We need a ceasefire. We will keep our promises to the Palestinians and stand against Israel’s crimes.”
German activist Yasmin Achar told Al Arabiya the ship was 160 nautical miles from Gaza and that the activists intended to continue despite the threats. “We are in international waters. Any attempt by ‘the occupation’ to stop us will be considered a documented war crime,” she said.
“We bring a humanitarian and moral message,” Achar added. “The world must be ashamed. The arming of Israel must stop. Our message to the world is not to remain silent and to act in support of Gaza’s civilians.”
The current mission follows a previous attempt by the coalition in May, when its ship Conscience was damaged in an alleged UAV attack near Malta. This time, the vessel altered its point of departure and followed a more controlled route to minimize risk.
Israel’s defense establishment has reiterated that no ship will be allowed to breach the naval blockade of Gaza. The IDF remains prepared to act against any future attempts, while seeking to avoid unnecessary escalation or international condemnation.
In parallel to the flotilla, a solidarity initiative called the Global March to Gaza is also planned to take place overland through Egypt in the coming days.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post