Greta Thunberg Said Guards Took Selfies With Her After She Was Forced To Undress As She Detailed The Abuse She Allegedly Endured In An Israeli Prison

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In early September, the Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Barcelona, carrying Greta Thunberg and around 500 activists from around the world. Their goal was to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid and food to Palestinians. The flotilla set sail shortly before a two-year United Nations investigation concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. On September 16, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry reported that Israel had “flagrantly disregarded” international law and “orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years.”

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The flotilla, however, did not reach Gaza. On October 1, the Israeli navy intercepted the vessels, boarding several boats and detaining many activists, including Greta Thunberg. Fellow participant Ersin Çelik told Anadolu news agency that activists witnessed Greta being physically assaulted, dragged by her hair, and forced to kiss an Israeli flag.

After being held for five days, Greta was deported on October 6. Initially, she refrained from discussing the details of her detention, focusing instead on the plight of Palestinians. But in an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet earlier this week, she described severe mistreatment by Israeli authorities. Her account included psychological and physical abuse, forced humiliation, and intimidation.

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Greta recounted that men with covered faces and automatic weapons boarded the boat while the incident was broadcast live on the flotilla’s channels. She and other activists were ordered to sit in a circle on a lower deck while the vessels were taken to shore. Upon disembarking, she described being grabbed, thrown to the ground, and covered with an Israeli flag, escalating the situation further.

“At the detention center, it was dystopian,” she said. “About 50 people were kneeling in a row with handcuffs, heads against the ground. I was separated and constantly struck, with a flag placed to touch me while guards yelled insults in Swedish.” Greta detailed repeated physical abuse, her personal belongings being destroyed, and being forced into humiliating searches. She said guards took selfies with her while she was restrained and blindfolded, subjected prisoners to extreme heat, denied food and water, and mocked their pleas.

The moment that men with covered faces and automatic weapons boarded Greta’s boat was watched live by people all over the world as it was broadcast through the flotilla’s own channels, and Greta shared that she and her fellow activists were then taken to a lower deck where they were made to sit in a circle without moving while the boat was taken to land. As she got off the boat, Greta says “a bunch of police officers” grabbed her, pulled her to the ground, and threw an Israeli flag over her. After this, she said, everything went “from zero to a hundred.”

Greta also alleged that medications for serious conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes were discarded in front of prisoners. She described small, overcrowded cages, threats of gas, and sleepless nights enforced by guards. At one point, prisoners were placed in bug-infested isolation cells.

She criticized the Swedish embassy’s response, noting that representatives did not meet the detained Swedes for three days and failed to provide adequate assistance, including water.

After her release and deportation to Greece, Greta discovered that her suitcase had been defaced with the words “Whore Greta,” a Star of David, and a graphic drawing.

“This is not about me,” she told Aftonbladet. “Thousands of Palestinians, including children, are held without trial, many likely tortured. What we experienced is a small fraction of what they endure.” She pointed to bullet holes, bloodstains, and carvings left by Palestinian prisoners as evidence of the ongoing human rights abuses.

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Israeli authorities have denied Greta’s allegations. In a statement to The Telegraph, the foreign minister said all her legal rights were respected, claiming she refused expedited deportation and did not file complaints, calling her claims “ludicrous and baseless.”