Israel’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed allegations by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who claimed she endured harsh conditions during her detention by Israeli authorities, calling them “brazen lies.” Thunberg, 22, was detained on October 1, 2025, after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a 42-boat convoy aiming to break Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
According to correspondence from the Swedish Foreign Ministry, reported by The Guardian, Thunberg told officials she sat for hours on hard surfaces in a bedbug-infested jail, developed rashes possibly from bedbugs, and suffered dehydration. A letter shared with her parents also described her treatment as “harsh and exhausting.” Another flotilla participant, Turkish journalist Ersin Çelik, claimed guards dragged Thunberg by her hair, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag, per Anadolu Agency.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X that all detainees’ legal rights were upheld, with access to food, water, legal counsel, and medical care. They emphasized that Thunberg made no formal complaints to Israeli authorities about mistreatment. Court documents from an October 5 hearing before Israel’s Population and Migration Tribunal, cited by local media, support this, noting Thunberg requested deportation to Sweden without raising mistreatment claims.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called flotilla participants “supporters of terrorism,” stating they faced conditions similar to those of terrorist detainees. The ministry also reported an incident where a Spanish detainee from the flotilla allegedly bit a female medical staff member at Ketziot Prison.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which included around 450 activists from over a dozen countries, departed from Turkey on September 30, 2025, aiming to deliver symbolic aid to Gaza. In a separate incident, reports surfaced that the flotilla’s radios were hijacked, bombarding the boats with ABBA music.
