Climatologist Greta Thunberg has claimed that she encountered poor treatment while in Israeli custody, including being placed in cells infested with bedbugs and denied sufficient food and water. However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has dismissed these allegations as ‘brazen lies.’
According to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Thunberg informed them that she developed skin rashes potentially due to bedbugs during her detention. She also reported experiencing dehydration. In a letter obtained by The Guardian, it is said that Thunberg described the treatment as ‘harsh and exhausting’ following her arrest by Israeli forces during her Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla aid expedition.
Israel’s government emphasized in a statement that all detainees’ legal rights were fully protected and that Thunberg did not file any complaints against the Israeli authorities regarding alleged mistreatment. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the reports were baseless and that the detainees had access to food, water, legal counsel, and medical care.
Meanwhile, other activists on the flotilla, such as Turkish journalist Ersin Çelik, have shared accounts of physical abuse by Israeli security personnel, reporting that guards ‘dragged little Greta by her hair, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.’ Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir characterized the participants as ‘supporters of terrorism,’ expressing pride that they ‘experienced the same conditions as terrorist detainees.’
The flotilla, consisting of 42 boats, departed from Turkey to attempt to break Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid. The Israeli navy intercepted the convoy on October 1, resulting in the detention of approximately 450 activists from over a dozen countries.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a post on X, stated that one Spanish detainee from Thunberg’s Flotilla allegedly bit a female medical staff member at Ketziot Prison. This incident, however, did not appear to affect the official account of Thunberg’s detention. Court documents from an Oct. 5 hearing before Israel’s Population and Migration Tribunal appear to support the official position, per local media reports, showing that while Thunberg requested deportation to Sweden, she made no formal complaint of mistreatment during her stay in custody.
In another post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry shared that the flotilla’s goal was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza despite Israel’s maritime restrictions. The ministry emphasized that no aid was found aboard the boats upon inspection, and that the flotilla’s actions were seen as a violation of Israeli laws and international maritime conventions.
Thunberg, 22, was among approximately 450 activists from over a dozen countries detained after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on October 1. The convoy, which departed from Turkey a day earlier, sought to breach Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza and deliver symbolic humanitarian aid.
Activists, such as Turkish journalist and flotilla participant Ersin Çelik, have told Anadolu Agency that guards ‘dragged little Greta by her hair, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.’ These accounts, which differ from the Israeli government’s official response, have fueled international debate over the treatment of activists and the legality of the Israeli naval interception.
Additionally, the Israeli government has faced criticism over the incident. Fox News Digital reached out to the Swedish Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Foreign Ministry for comment, but no additional statements have been released.