Greta Thunberg abused in Israeli prison – activists

The Swedish climate campaigner was reportedly deprived of food and forced to kiss an Israeli flag.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was subjected to humiliation and harsh treatment in an Israeli prison after being arrested aboard the Gaza aid flotilla, according to fellow activists and lawyers.

Thunberg was among the activists who attempted to breach the blockade of Gaza by sea, whose boats were intercepted by the Israeli Navy on Thursday and Friday. Most detainees were taken to Ketziot Prison in the Negev Desert, and more than 130 have since been deported to Türkiye.

Italian journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino told Anadolu that Israeli forces left flotilla members without fresh water for two days, while Thunberg was “wrapped in an Israeli flag and exhibited like a trophy.” Turkish journalist Ersin Celik said he witnessed the “torture” of Thunberg.

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“They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” he told the outlet.

Activists Hazwani Helmi and Windfield Beaver also said Thunberg was paraded with an Israeli flag and “used as propaganda” during a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the prison.

In an email cited by The Guardian, the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv said that Thunberg had complained about “harsh treatment” and not receiving enough food or water. The Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists were “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations as “complete lies,” saying that Thunberg and other activists were “safe and in good health.” The ministry added that “their true goal was provocation in the service of Hamas, not humanitarian assistance.”