Politics
Greta Thunberg Arrested After Plan To Sail To Gaza Fails
The Israeli Defense Forces intercepted the “Freedom Flotilla” that radical left-wing activist Greta Thunberg and her friends were planning to sail to Gaza. Once the IDF brought the activists off their vessel, the “Madleen,” to an Israeli ship, the troops provided all 12 of them with sandwiches and water.
Thunberg and friends were taken into custody at 3 a.m.
“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry revealed in a post on X. “They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”
The ministry said the boat was going to be taken to Israel and all its passengers would be returned to their countries of origin. In a message prerecorded by Thunberg, she claims the IDF “kidnapped” her.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she stated in the clip. “I urge all of my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”
The group of activists, who have been mocked and referred to as the “selfie flotilla,” is using the incident as a publicity stunt to try to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Another one of the activists aboard the craft is Thaigo Avila from Brazil, known for his radical anti-Israel stance.
Avila even attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“The ministry pointed out that the 59-foot boat included less than a single truckload of aid, while more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the last two weeks. The Trump administration-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation successfully delivered more than 8 million meals to Gazans since it’s been in operation,” the Daily Wire reported.
“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies,” the ministry remarked in a stern rebuke of the activists. “The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”
Greta filmed a video claiming she’s been “kidnapped.” In reality, her boat was peacefully boarded, and she’s being brought to shore—where she’ll likely be deported and return to Sweden to continue her selfie activism.
The same can’t be said for the 55 hostages still trapped in… pic.twitter.com/sDyHsNvBst
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) June 9, 2025
A total of five IDF speedboats surrounded the flotilla, according to United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
“I am with the flotilla online,” she shared in a post on X. “The captain is instructing the team to stay calm and seated, with their passports and life jackets on. I hear them speaking with Israeli soldiers as I type… telling they are carrying humanitarian aid and go in peace. For the time being they are just circled. I am with them, recording everything.”
President Donald Trump and his administration have officially backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and have managed to deliver over 8 million meals to those in Gaza, which is far more than Thunberg and the other activists brought along with them on their voyage.
The organization has been given the mission of implementing the aid initiative of the president, and is designed to make sure this assistance actually gets to the civilians located in Gaza. Its secondary mission is to prevent Hamas terrorists from intercepting the supplies, which is something that’s been a problem since the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.
