Members of the flotilla claim that Greta was forced to hold an Israeli flag.

247 - Greta Thunberg was pushed, assaulted, and forced to hold an Israeli flag by Israeli soldiers, according to reports from Freedom Flotilla activists, published by CNN Brazil based on a Reuters report. The testimonies indicate that the young Swedish activist, a global symbol of the environmental and human rights struggle, was used as a propaganda tool by the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, which is waging a devastating war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

American Windfield Beaver, 43, told Reuters that Greta was "treated terribly" and "used for propaganda." He said the activist was pushed into a room when Israel's National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his extremism, arrived. According to Beaver, the Israeli agents acted violently and humiliatingly.

The complaint was reinforced by Hazwani Helmi, a 28-year-old Malaysian citizen who was also part of the flotilla. “It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” he said. He stated that the activists were detained without access to drinking water, adequate food or medicine, and had their belongings confiscated.

The two were deported along with 137 other international activists, who landed this Saturday (4) in Istanbul, after being expelled from Israel. The humanitarian mission, composed of boats from more than ten countries, aimed to break the naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, bringing food and supplies to the Palestinian territory — today devastated by an Israeli military offensive widely denounced as genocide.

Among those deported were citizens of Turkey, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Israeli government, in turn, classified the humanitarian operation as an “illegal” attempt to violate the blockade of Gaza.

Italian MP Arturo Scotto, who was also part of the flotilla, condemned Israel's actions: "Those who were acting legally were the people on board the boats; the illegal ones were those who prevented aid from reaching Gaza." MP Benedetta Scuderi added: "We were brutally prevented, brutally taken hostage."

According to the Israeli group Adalah, which provides legal assistance to detainees, many activists were forced to kneel with their hands tied for more than five hours and prevented from accessing lawyers, bathrooms, and medication after shouting "Free Palestine."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, however, denied the accusations, calling them "completely false." In a statement, it asserted that all detainees "had access to water, food, and toilets," without presenting any evidence.

The Freedom Flotilla, launched in late August, represented one of the latest attempts to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than 17 years—a blockade that has turned the Palestinian territory into an open-air prison. Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, Benjamin Netanyahu's government has intensified bombings and offensives that have already killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children.

The allegation that Greta Thunberg — one of the most well-known voices of global youth — was raped and used as a political tool by a regime that perpetrates crimes against humanity illustrates the level of brutality of the Netanyahu government. Under the pretext of “national security,” Israel continues to defy international law, suppressing humanitarian actions and maintaining a genocidal siege on Gaza.