Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel after being detained during a protest flotilla attempting to breach the Gaza blockade. She has alleged harsh treatment, including being held in a cell infested with bedbugs and denied adequate food and water, according to correspondence seen by the Guardian.
Swedish officials who visited Thunberg in prison reported her claims of dehydration, insufficient food and water, and rashes from bedbugs. Another detainee said Thunberg was forced to hold flags while photographs were taken, though the flags' identity is unknown. A Turkish activist claimed she was dragged by her hair and forced to kiss the Israeli flag.
Thunberg was among 437 activists on the Global Sumud flotilla, intercepted by Israeli forces between Thursday and Friday. Most are held at Ketziot prison, typically used for Palestinian security prisoners. Lawyers from the NGO Adalah said activists' rights were systematically violated, with denial of water, sanitation, medication, and legal access.
Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called the activists 'terrorists' during a visit to Ashdod port. This is Thunberg's second arrest in a similar flotilla attempt this year. She has since been deported.
