‘Kidnapped’: Israel Seizes Greta Thunberg Aid Boat, Detains Passengers and Forces Them to Watch Oct. 7 Footage

(AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

Israeli forces have been ordered to show graphic footage of the October 7 attacks by Hamas to detained Greta Thunberg and her fellow activists after intercepting and seizing their Gaza-bound aid ship.

The yacht Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was stopped en route from Sicily to Gaza and redirected to Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the British-flagged vessel was “safely making its way” to Ashdod port, and released images of the activists being offered sandwiches and water.

Thunberg had joined a dozen international campaigners attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza. Among them was French MEP Rima Hassan, who was banned from entering Israel over her outspoken criticism of its policies.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on X Monday that he had ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to show the intercepted group “the atrocities committed against women, the elderly, and children,” referring to Hamas’s cross-border attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war.

“Antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-supporting friends should see exactly what the Hamas terrorist organization – which they came to support and act on behalf of – truly is,” the minister said.

The foreign ministry described the Madleen as “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities,'” and said all passengers were unharmed and “in good spirits.” It added that humanitarian supplies aboard would be routed to Gaza via established channels.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, however, described the interception as a “kidnapping,” saying Israeli forces boarded the vessel in international waters around 2 a.m. It released pre-recorded videos of the activists, including one of Thunberg.

Last month, another vessel in the group’s convoy was reportedly struck by drones off Malta – an incident the organization blamed on Israel.