GRETA Thunberg is being deported after Israel detained her along with other activists on board the “Freedom Flotilla” stunt ship.
Israel‘s foreign ministry shared a photo of Thunberg on a plane, saying she was headed for France along with a security escort.
X/@IsraelWarRoomActivist Greta Thunberg is being deported from Israel[/caption]
IsraelMFAGreta Thunberg has arrived on dry land[/caption]
Greta Thunberg is one of the 12 people aboard the vessel
GettyThunberg with part of the crew of the ship headed to the Strip[/caption]
Thunberg, 22, was one of 12 passengers on board the British-flagged Madleen – a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza.
The Swedish eco warrior was taken to dry land yesterday after Israeli authorities seized the yacht.
Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing those on board, said Thunberg and two other activists and a journalist had agreed to be deported and leave Israel.
Other activists refused deportation, were being held in detention, and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities.
Israel accused the group who were aboard the boat of supporting Hamas terrorists who detonated Middle East mayhem by massacring 1,200 and kidnapping 251 hostages.
The activists said they were protesting the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But Israel says such ships violate its naval blockade of Gaza.
After seizing the “selfie yacht” ship, Israeli authorities moved all those on board to the ground and said they were safe and unharmed.
They were handed out sandwiches and water before the vessel docked at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod.
The boat was carrying a “tiny amount of aid” on board – which will be sent to Gaza, officials said.
Hamas branded the interception of the yacht as a “crime of piracy”.
The group said in a statement that activists were on a “humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip and exposing the crime of mass starvation.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he had instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to screen footage of the 7 October attacks for the activists as soon as they arrive.
The disturbing footage – titled “Bearing Witness” – shows innocent people being massacred and mutilated.
And all the footage was taken from the Hamas terrorists’ body cams as they filmed their massacre.
The flotilla’s latest voyage follows a failed attempt in May, when another of its vessels was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta.
The group accused Israel of being behind the attack.
Despite the risks, activists aboard the Madleen attempted to enter Gaza’s territorial waters on Sunday.
The vessel’s controversial crew includes figures who have openly supported terrorist organizations and have made inflammatory public statements.
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila attended the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling the terrorist a “beloved” leader and a “martyr”.
Avila said he was “very honoured” and “very happy” to attend, and described the funeral as something that “amazed him”.
Greta Thunberg – Swedish climate activist
Rima Hassan – French-Palestinian MEP
Yasemin Acar – German activist
Thiago Avila – Brazilian activist
Omar Faiad – French journalist
Pascal Maurieras – French activist
Yanis Mhamdi – French reporter
Suayb Ordu – Turkish activist
Sergio Toribio – Spanish activist
Marco van Rennes – Dutch activist
Reva Viard – French activist
Liam Cunningham – Irish Game of Thrones actor
Baptiste Andre – French Physician
Freedom Flotilla CoalitionA photo posted on Telegram purportedly showing activists with their hands up on board the Madleen[/caption]
Alamy Live NewsGreta Thunberg is offered a sandwich by an Israeli soldier[/caption]
ReutersThunberg sits aboard the aid ship Madleen, which left the Italian port of Catania on June 1 to travel to Gaza[/caption]
GettyGaza has been hammered by the IDF as it aims to wipe out Hamas[/caption]
He wrote that Nasrallah was an “important figure” who “inspired people all over the world”.
Also on board was Yasemin Acar from Berlin, who reportedly danced as Iranian rockets rained down on Israel and once told a white woman at a protest: “You’re a white person, you shouldn’t tell us what to do.”
French journalist Omar Faiad, of Al-Jazeera, sparked outrage for comparing the IDF to Nazis.
On X, he wrote: “The Israeli army resembles the Nazi army,” and claimed: “Israel is committing a new Holocaust in Gaza.”
Rima Hassan, meanwhile, previously tweeted: “Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas were killed by an Israeli attack,” despite Hamas being responsible for their abduction and deaths.
She was also seen at a protest where demonstrators chanted: “We die for jihad.”
Meanwhile, a man accused in parliament of being a Hamas operative based in London was one of the organisers of “Freedom Flotilla”, it has emerged.
Zaher Birawi, who has been photographed with slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was present at the launch of the British-flagged yacht Madleen.
As a Palestinian-British journalist, Mr Birawi is chair of the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza.
He also runs a UK-registered charity called Education Aid for Palestinians, which has raised more than £3 million since 2017.
Just a week ago, Mr Birawi was present at the launch of Madleen and live-streamed the event from a dock in Sicily.
He called himself the “founding member” of the Freedom Flotilla International Coalition – which arranged Madleen’s voyage to Gaza.
Labour MP Christian Wakeford named Mr Birawi in the Commons using special parliamentary protections that protect him from being sued.
Mr Birawi said Mr Wakeford’s claim was “baseless” and that he was looking at “all available legal recourse” in response to the MP’s comments.
According to Israel’s strategic affairs ministry, Mr Birawi moved to the UK in the 1990s, has “close ties to Hamas” and worked for several pro-Palestinian NGOs – including one tied to Hamas.
In 2023, The Sun on Sunday revealed Mr Birawi lived in a £500,000 semi-detached house in leafy north London.
Zaher Al-Birawi, who is close to the Hamas leadership, speaks at anti-Israel protest in London
Courtesy of Ministry of Strategic AffairsMr Birawi pictured with Ismael Haniyeh, the former Hamas Leader, in 2012[/caption]
MP for Bury South Mr Wakeford raised concerns over a “serious national security risk” from “Hamas operatives”.
He told the Commons: “[Mr Birawi] was designated by Israel in 2013 as a senior Hamas operative in Europe.
“He is listed as a trustee of a UK-registered charity Education Aid for Palestinians, and a publicly available video shows him hosting a 2019 event in London titled ‘Understanding Hamas’.
“Two weeks ago, Hamas launched the deadly terrorist attack the world has seen since 9/11.
“This House rightly voted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety in November 2021. It is therefore a serious national security risk for Hamas operatives to be living here in London.”
There is no suggestion that Mr Birawi was involved in the deadly October 7 terror attacks.
He said: “I have been made aware of the fact that the Member of Parliament for Bury South, Christian Wakefield, made a reference to my name in the proceedings of the House of Commons on October 26.
“Regrettably, this mention appears to have been motivated by an intent to besmirch my character and, potentially, to rationalise any harm that may befall me or my family.
“In a time when we should all exercise vigilance and contemplate the potential consequences of our words, particularly their capacity to incite violence and animosity, Mr Wakefield chose a contrary course of action.
“I wish to reaffirm that what the respected MP said about the accusation is baseless and that it is part of the distortion attempts undertaken by the occupying state to prevent activists supporting Palestinian rights from carrying out their duties in supporting the Palestinian human rights.”
Hamas has been proscribed as a terror group in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 2021.
GettyThe Freedom Flotilla Coalition says it was carrying essential supplies to the Gazan population[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
