Swedish climate activist and captured humanitarian, currently in custody in Israel, Greta Thunberg, was subjected to humiliation and harsh treatment in an Israeli prison, according to fellow activists and lawyers. Thunberg was arrested aboard the Gaza aid flotilla, which was stopped by Israel.

Thunberg is among 437 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers who were part of the Global Sumud flotilla, a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid whose goal was to breach Israel’s 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza. The mission was unsuccessful, and the flotilla was seized by the Israeli military.

Italian journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino told Anadolu that Israeli forces left flotilla members without fresh water for two days, while Thunberg was “wrapped in an Israeli flag and exhibited like a trophy.” Turkish journalist Ersin Celik said he witnessed the “torture” of Thunberg. “They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” he told the outlet.

Israel Intercepts Aid Flotilla Destined for Gaza

On board was infamous Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that the activists, including Thunberg, were detained and transferred to an Israeli port. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” the ministry wrote on X. –SHTFPlan

Activists Hazwani Helmi and Windfield Beaver also said Thunberg was paraded with an Israeli flag and “used as propaganda” during Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the prison.

In an email cited by The Guardian, the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv said that Thunberg had complained about “harsh treatment” and not receiving enough food or water. The Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists were “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours.” Thunberg also complained of a rash she suspected came from bedbugs.

According to a report by RT, the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations as “complete lies,” saying that Thunberg and other activists were “safe and in good health.” The ministry added that “their true goal was provocation in the service of Hamas, not humanitarian assistance.”