Israel’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was leaving the country on a flight to France after her Gaza-bound aid vessel was intercepted by Israeli authorities.
“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the ministry said in a post along with two photos of the activist on board a plane.
Thunberg was one of 12 passengers aboard the Madleen, a boat organized by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition that departed Italy on June 1 to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
The government said Israeli naval forces intercepted the vessel early Monday, approximately 200 kilometers off the Gaza coast.
In a pre-recorded video posted by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Monday, Thunberg said her group had been “intercepted and kidnapped” by Israel and called on the Swedish government to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Thunberg said the voyage was a peaceful protest against Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave.
The Israeli government, however, considered the mission a breach of its naval blockade and dismissed the operation as a publicity stunt, branding the vessel a “selfie yacht.”
U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Thunberg on Monday evening, calling her a “strange” and “angry” person, and suggested she should take anger management classes.
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