Greta Thunberg claims she was “hit and kicked” while in Israeli custody after she was detained from her Gaza aid flotilla.
The young Swedish activist has accused Israeli guards of having “no empathy or humanity”, recalled seeing dozens of people in handcuffs with their foreheads on the ground, and says she had to “beg” for water while in 40C heat.
Thunberg also claimed Israeli guards wrote the words “wh***” and drew images of a penis and the Star of David on her suitcase. Israel has hit back at the activist and claimed her allegations are “ludicrous and baseless”.
The 22-year-old was detained after attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza on dozens of vessels, in a breach of Israel’s naval blockade of the flattened enclave. She was deported on 6 October.
She recalled seeing a “dystopian” area with iron fences, where around 50 detainees had been tied up and were sitting with their foreheads “against the ground”.
“They dragged me to the opposite side from where the others were sitting, and I had the flag around me the whole time. They hit and kicked me,” she told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“There’s a lot I don’t remember. So much is happening at once. You’re in shock, you’re in pain, but you go into a state of trying to stay calm,” she said. The Israeli guards also took selfies with her while she was in prison, she said.
Israeli authorities strongly deny Thunberg’s claims. The foreign ministry said in a statement to The Telegraph: “All of her legal rights were fully upheld. Interestingly enough, Greta herself refused to expedite her deportation and insisted on prolonging her stay in custody. She also never lodged any complaint with the Israeli authorities regarding these ludicrous and baseless allegations – because they simply never happened.”
The Independent has contacted the Israeli foreign ministry and the Israel Defense Force (IDF) for further comment.
Thunberg also claimed the guards laughed at her while holding water bottles as she was begging for water in 40C heat in the prison.
“When people fainted, we banged on the cages and asked for a doctor. Then the guards came and said: ‘We’re going to gas you.’ It was standard for them to say that. They held up a gas cylinder and threatened to press it against us,” she said.
“During the nights, guards regularly came by and shook the bars, shining flashlights, and several times a night they came in and forced everyone to stand up.”
She was detained in early October after the flotilla had set sail in August, with more than 40 vessels and 500 activists on board looking to deliver aid to Gaza.
The Israeli navy had earlier warned the activists via radio to turn back, as they risked “entering an active warzone”, adding: “If you continue and attempt to break the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel.”
The warning was effectively ignored and the Israeli military stormed the vessels and seized the activists, including Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, and several European politicians.
