Greta Thunberg happened to be one of the 12 passengers who got intercepted by Israeli Naval Forces on Monday. The Madleen, a british-flagged ship, was seized without incident 200 kilometers off Gaza. The mission’s aim was to distribute aid to the people of Gaza who are currently in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, passengers of the Madleen intended to protest Israeli restrictions over aid provided to more than 2 million people of Gaza.

Israel has released an official statement and called the mission a mere publicity stunt. The Madleen has been dubbed as the ‘selfie yacht’ according to Israel’s statement. 

A day after being deported, Thunberg is now on her way to Sweden via Paris. Greta Thunberg described the detention as ‘chaotic and uncertain’. She has demanded the release of the other detained passengers who were part of the charity ship. She alleged that the Israeli Naval Forces ‘kidnapped’ her and the other pro-palestainian activists en route to Gaza. Following her deportation, Greta Thunberg disclosed that she refused to sign papers which declared that she had entered Israel illegally, 

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition encouraged deportation among the detained activists to be able to share their accounts. Eight passengers remain detained at Givon prison in Ramle as they choose to refuse deportation. The coalition calls the detention, “unlawful, politically motivated and a direct violation of international law.’ On Tuesday, Israeli authorities heard the cases of all the passengers at a detention tribunal. 

Legal representatives for the group of detainees have argued that seizing the vessel in international waters and forceful transportation to an Israeli territory diminishes the Israeli authority’s decision to detain or deport the activists. 

Source: AP