The public sentiment is largely negative towards Greta Thunberg's involvement in the Gaza-bound aid mission, with many viewing it as a publicity stunt rather than a genuine humanitarian effort. There's significant skepticism about the effectiveness and intentions of the mission. While some express admiration for Thunberg’s courage, the majority criticize her motives and question the purpose of the mission. Simultaneously, Israel’s interception actions are scrutinized, with accusations of illegality and misuse of power. Meanwhile, there is evident sympathy for Gaza’s plight, although distrust towards all parties involved is prominent.

Greta Thunberg

Israeli Government

Gaza/Palestinian Authorities

I was watching it live for a bit, they were so far into international waters when they were *apprehended

Edit: *Detained

SpaghettiEntity

Personally, I'm against all Palestinians being starved to death. Fuck Netanyahu and his supporters.

yhwhx

You see guys Israel is allowed to operate as pirates in international waters cause … college protestors or something.

guttershnipe

i see a lot of people talking about the Israeli blockade being illegal, but when exactly is a blockade *legal*? had she been English in 1940 and trying to deliver aid to Norway or Denmark, the German navy would have likely intercepted and detained her too right? 

the legality of the blockade seems irrelevant to the reality of what trying to run a blockade (illegal or
not) would entail. i’m confused at how thinking Israel’s blockade of Gaza being wrong can somehow translate to “i can successfully run it”, unless the intention the whole time is to not actually deliver the aid, but get caught trying to call attention to the wrongness of the blockade

pump_dragon

[deleted]

I like how everyone is suddenly an expert, "this is definitely piracy".

Ok-Bug8833

"uh as you uh know, our uh blockade is perfectly legal"

sachsrandy

I think you mean "boarded and seized in international waters". This is at minimum piracy, and depending on the crew and where the ship is registered could be considered an act of war.

MalcolmLinair

This seems about as good an idea as hiking in Afghanistan

cjmaguire17

What? You can't just go to a known naval blockade and go through? I thought the point of Blockades was to give you cookies well passing through.

CanadianPenguinn

bibi is an ICC criminal - those who support him support genocide - those who support genocide are pure fkn evil.  fuck netanyahu and fuck all those who support this inhumane piece of shit.

(and you can bet djt is in his glory rn, as lil' Greta \*really\* gets under his skin...glad this is getting the press it deserves/demands.  we need more \*actual\* coverage of the truths in Gaza - not the bullshit whitewashed MSM nonsense)

WetFinsFine

Offering the people on the boat pastrami sandwiches and bottled water is actually craaazy in this situation

Cannabamama

Kidnapped. Israeli pirates kidnapped peace activists.

astaristorn

They just saved this stupid LARPing girls life

yeabuddy84

It's not illegal. If I swing around a knife saying I'm going to stab someone down the street you can and should apprehend me if I'm in public walking towards the house, before I start stabbing. You don't need to wait until I'm half way through my stab before you can legally stop me. 

More importantly, aid is currently going in. They can donate their aid to the channels that are delivering aid to actually help.
Last, what was their plan to distribute the aid? Just drop it off and sail away and ppl fend for themselves? Or maybe their plan was to donate it to Hamas directly? 
They ever planned on getting in. Their hope was to get arrested as a protest. This is the plan the whole time. Not exactly helping hungry Palestinians and not exactly pushing hamas to end the war.

bokimoki1984

One would think that, if indeed their goal is not to starve and brutalize Gaza into surrender and displacement, they'd simply let the boat through. Maybe inspect it to make sure they're not carrying weapons. Turn the narrative around: no, look, we let aid through! We have no problem with that! Or even if their goal was in fact to do ethnic cleansing and they weren't utter psychos, what's one boat gonna do? But the government are in fact genocidal freaks seething about being defied, so here's where we are

micheladaface

Lol they literally saved their lives. They wouldn't last a day in the hands of Hamas. 

relaxingtimeslondon

They spent far more money on this PR stunt than would’ve ever reached any people in need.

Colonel-KWP

They were illegally detained on international waters by a genocidal government

speet01

They should escort her directly into gaza, that'll be fun

Edit: what you guys didn't want her to succeed?

Dog-Witch

Israel needs to be stopped, if we keep letting it operate outside the law, if will just keep doing so; the West needs to start genuinely holding them to account, legally.

Psychological-Pass43

i for one dont aprove of People being starved therfore Israel is in the wrong.

theflemmischelion

I guess this is the part where we all act shocked and start shouting slogans? WAS THAT BREAD THEY GAVE GRETA GLUTEN FREE?!  
  
\#FreeFreeGreta

On a more serious note -- sorry, I just can’t take this seriously. And to anyone who does, and ends up spreading it: I sincerely hope you find a new grounding in reality. Because whatever THIS was, it serves only a few -- and none of them are in Gaza.

Standard-Ad-1122

Final_Greggit

I love the people shitting on her for this lol. They expected her to fight off the IOF and lead an invasion to deliver the aid. The whole point was to come in peace with transparent intent. The IOF (yet again) showed their true colors by intercepting the vessel, detaining the crew, and sending them away without letting any of the aid get to the starving population. 

I imagine the only reason anyone from that ship is even alive right now is because Greta and others have so much notoriety and were posting updates on social media constantly. 

Those of you calling Greta a hypocrite or calling this a stunt are falling for Israeli PR hook, line, and sinker. Don’t be mad at Greta for trying to stick by her principles while you sit at home doing nothing.

Drewski87

Mission accomplished. They were never going to get to actually deliver aid, it was all about publicity and media attention.

Edit: in this thread there are clearly very passionate individuals, but perhaps less focused on reading comprehension.

Greta achieved what she set out to do. She isn’t dumb, so knew the likelihood of actually getting to deliver aid was essentially nil. The point was to raise awareness and attention, which she did in spades. Hence: mission accomplished.

AutocraticHilarity

rxsteel

Who would've thought that she wouldn't be allowed to pass a well known naval blockade into a war zone. (Granted Israel and Egypt have had the blockade up for a lot longer than the current round of fighting.)

To claim that she was kidnapped by the IDF is an insult to the Israelis that were (and remain) held hostage by Hamas.

Kharenis

Getting fed and sent home. Absolutely monstrous demonstration of kidnapping.

Affectionate-Name279

Israel is terrible at kidnapping and genocide.  She's on a flight to Paris??

dodobird8

Revolutionary_Sun535

Brave person, we need a few million more like her

Street_Struggle_598

A 60 foot pleasure cruiser is not an "Aid ship".

darbs377

Didn't she say she got kidnapped in that video she posted? Don't tell me she lied about that? Or is getting arrested by authorities the same as getting kidnapped now?

Zmoorhs

Memes_Haram

Seems like kind of a pointless protest to me, honestly.

It was very successful in generating a buzz amongst *people who already agree with them*, but I've yet to see anyone online or talk to anyone IRL who says they've had their eyes opened or been convinced to oppose Israel by this. The result being that, although it's absolutely in the news, I can't say I agree that it has really raised that much awareness; which is the only practical goal this stunt could have hoped to achieve.

Nurhaci1616

She got her publicity stunt and Instagram pictures. This is all she came there for. If she and other famous passengers on that ship really wanted to deliver aid, that would have spent the money on buying and delivering it via property channels -- they could have delivered a lot more.

“This wasn’t humanitarian aid. It’s Instagram activism,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. “Meanwhile, Israel has delivered over 1,200 truckloads in the last two weeks. So who’s really feeding Gaza and who’s really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.”

Fun_Lunch_4922

This is cruel and unusual punishment. They could have sent her somewhere other than Paris.

DaerBear69

Apparently they were made to watch he videos from October 7th. Curious if we will ever hear their response to that.

Josh_The_Joker

AdWooden2312

This is a misleading headline.

She was deported, and that's THE most important part, intentionally left out of the headline by CNN.

theedgeofoblivious

Heavily botted and clueless comment at the top with  more upvotes than the post. Shocker.

triggergza

Don’t really get it. No meaningful aid brought to Gaza. Supported the spread of misinformation that they were kidnapped. All to bring attention to a conflict that has been the center of the world’s attention for the past 2 years. Seems like a mess.

bad_timing_bro

A plane?  She's not going to be happy about that.

WretchedMisteak

DrZonino2022

That's quite the global carbon footprint she has

amllx

They knew they wouldn't be let in so they are screaming about international waters and kidnapping but really if your going to try and run a blockade, your going to be siezed.

Also apparently they are showing all of the activists the 45 minutes of Oct 7th Hamas footage before releasing them. Considering Greta has never once had a negative thing to say about Hamas and her first public statements about everything was Oct 20th in support of Gaza, I don't think she's ever seen any of it

Firecracker048

BTW, the headline of the article is incorrect; it isn't an "aid boat"; it is an "activist boat", or "propaganda boat". It doesn't have the capacity to deliver anything beyond the most trivial amount of supplies.

ETA: yep, just googled, and it is less than half a ton of rice and flour.

GrizzledFart

[Greta seems happy enough](https://x.com/Israel/status/1931983917545869409)

The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are safe and were provided with sandwiches and water, and are expected to return to their home countries.

The tiny amount of aid that wasn’t consumed by the “celebrities” will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels. 

More than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and close to 11 million meals were transferred by the GHF directly to civilians in Gaza.

There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies.

Cannot-Forget

How much aid do you think was actually in a party yacht that’s most likely exists as a booze cruise in its normal operations for gap year Brits?

pamar456

Yes it’s a stunt but there is legitimate humanitarian interest due to civilian suffering and this is one way, for better or worse, that activists do their job. 

Intercepting the boat was inevitable and the best thing to do. Shooing off Greta before she can put herself and others in danger is much better optics than letting Hamas get their claws on more hostages.

MeatPiston

Submission statement: A flotilla vessel called the Madleen, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and carrying a small amount of humanitarian aid, set sail from Sicily on June 1, 2025, aiming to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and highlight the dire humanitarian crisis there. However, on June 9, Israeli naval forces intercepted the boat in international waters approximately 200 km from Gaza, detaining all 12 activists on board—including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan. Israel described the operation as enforcement of its longstanding blockade and dismissed the mission as a “publicity stunt,” asserting that any aid would be redirected via official channels. Rights groups, including Adalah, condemned the interception as a potential violation of international law.

sightl3ss

😂😂 isn’t that what Greta and the losers wanted?

sn0wman175

The WHO reports that the entire 2.1 M population Gaza is at risk of famine due to an aid blockade.

acherlyte

I can't wait to see what cause she hops onto next! Really fantastic work from this young warrior of the sea 
😂

DrBirdie

I am glad she is involved..remember when she solved global warming and so many other causes she has been in...yeah I dont either, so hopefully she can cash a few more checks from this stunt though and go back to sailing the world in stead of flying on private jets to attend different rallies.

littleredpinto

I mean, come to think of it, if it is legitimately carrying aid and food, why not have IDF escort them and the supply to whatever aid distribution point that is set up in Gaza? Let them live stream how IDF is in fact distributing stuff to people there.

ApostleofV8

The issue I have with this whole thing is why on earth would you go public with this venture? If that were me I’d plan to sneak in and provide food and not be given the chance to stop it. 

Israel isn’t exactly an entirely logical country at this point. I get why they stopped it as probably any country would. 

At the same time, I don’t know if there’s any good solutions.

Yes Hamas strikes and kills first. But millions of Gazans aren’t all responsible and if you watch documentaries and research what’s happening, Gaza is essentially a ghetto. There should be a two state solution. Anything less is exactly what it is now - genocide.

WorkingFit5413

This is usually Greta’s goal though right?  To get captured but her celebrity keeps her safe-ish

Jets237

-yawn-


Activists create news which they wanted to create.



Now back to our regularly scheduled programing.

Maximum_Overdrive

A handful of idiots try to sail into a war zone, they’re predictably intercepted by the party in control of the area, they’re treated well and given sandwiches.

Please share your centrist take on this astounding news story.

KosherPigBalls

It’s heartbreaking seeing so much unnecessary suffering in Gaza. I feel bad for the poor people who had the bad luck to be born in Gaza under the boot of the evil Hamas government.

I pray that Hamas will surrender and end this senseless conflict.

I also hope that those watching in the west have a good information diet and educate themselves about the history and actions all sides have taken in this war and that while both sides have blame and both sides have cause, we all have a responsibility to ourselves to know the facts and it does nobody any good to keep themselves ignorant about them.

Those are my thoughts anyway.

therosx

She probably breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she didn't actually have to go to Gaza.  This was almost certainly her plan all along.

greenw40

Greta Thunberg? I thought she was an environmental activist?

Judge_Trudy

They got stopped for illegally entering a war zone. What a shocker ain't it?

You guys will literally do anything to just be antisemitic.

MeGuaZy

Alternate headline, for if Israel did \*not\* intercept them:

"Israel Stands by As Hamas Intercepts Gaza-Bound Aid Ship; Greta Thunberg and Other Prominent Activists Expected to be Held Hostage".

Red57872

Hamas is bad.  Genocide is bad.  The entire situation is bad.  However, this particular event started with terrorism. Don't let terrorists win.

99aye-aye99

More on this subject from other reputable sources:

---
- 1News (B): [Aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg intercepted before reaching Gaza](https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/06/09/aid-boat-carrying-greta-thunberg-intercepted-before-reaching-gaza/)
- Associated Press (A-): [A Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists has been diverted to Israel](https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-gaza-flotilla-greta-thunberg-b64e897fb37ee374e4494381304ff9be)
- CTVNews (A-): [Israel vows to prevent an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists from reaching Gaza](https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/israel-hamas-war/article/israel-vows-to-prevent-an-aid-boat-carrying-greta-thunberg-and-other-activists-from-reaching-gaza/)
- Middle East Eye (B-): [Israel orders military to stop aid boat with Greta Thunberg reaching Gaza](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/flotilla-article)

---
[__Extended Summary__](https://www.reddit.com/r/newswall/comments/1l6gj7u/) | [FAQ &amp; Grades](https://www.reddit.com/r/newswall/comments/uxgfm5/faq_newswall_bot/) | I'm a bot

newswall-org

The ppl who were with her included someone who went to Nasrallah’s funeral, someone who chanted “death to Israel, death to America,” they threw electronics in the water, Greta made a video saying she was “being kidnapped,” and there wasn’t even that much aid. There are some pro-Palis who are not straight up terror simps but this crew are. Not the heroes they’re being made out to be.

Ampleforth84

I share her sympathy for suffering Palestinians but was about as impactful as Cory Booker taking the podium for 25 hours

Cinco_Tre

&gt; 
&gt; Israel has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other prominent activists, detaining those onboard and taking them to Israel.
&gt; 
&gt; The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) earlier said the Israeli military had boarded the “Madleen,” which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza - where more than 600 days of war, and an 11-week Israeli blockade of all aid, has pushed the enclave’s 2.1 million people deeper into a hunger crisis.
&gt; 
&gt; Climate activist Thunberg, “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan — a French member of the European Parliament — are among those on the “Madleen.”
&gt; 
&gt; “(The vessel) is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X early Monday local time.
&gt; 
&gt; The foreign ministry posted a video showing members of the “Madleen” crew sitting side by side wearing orange life jackets while a solider hands them water and sandwiches. Thunberg can be seen sitting near the front of the group.
&gt; 
&gt; The FFC had earlier said the ship had come “under assault in international waters,” in a Telegram post.
&gt; 
&gt; “Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white paint-like substance. Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio,” the FFC said. A video posted by Israel’s foreign ministry appeared to show a Navy staffer sending a radio message to the vessel saying the “maritime zone off the coast of Gaza was closed.”
&gt; 
&gt; In a video livestreamed from the boat, activist Yasmin Acar showed a white substance on the deck, saying it had been dropped on the vessel. Acar was later heard saying it was affecting her eyes.
&gt; 
&gt; The FFC group also posted a video on Telegram, showing members of the crew sitting inside the boat with their hands in the air.
&gt; 
&gt; After losing communication with the vessel, the FFC began posting pre-recorded video messages from Thunberg and others onboard. “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg said in her video.

Im1Guy

Ecstatic-Shop6060

Greta diving into the Gaza issue, which is super murky, and away from Climate issue, which is 100% crystal clear, has really been a bummer.

ReadingAndThinking

I hope Greta &amp; the rest are safe. I'm worried for them. 

Al Jazeera has live updates if you'd like to follow along. It's a breaking story. 

Stay Tuned!!

[Madleen Gaza flotilla live: Ship, activists being taken to Israel](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/6/4/madleen-gaza-flotilla-live-greta-thunberg-activists-to-arrive-on-june-7)

I've dropped my support for Palestine because I simply don't care anymore, but it's funny watching all these Israeli bots come out of the woodworks

Ok_Board9845

Nothing surprising and exactly as planned.

Important-Guidance22

Of course they do, israel doesnt want anyone looking at what they are doing in gaza, nor do they want any help for a starving population.

Turbulent-Raise4830

[After being deported, Thunberg reiterates claim she was 'kidnapped' by Israeli forces](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/after-being-deported-thunberg-reiterates-claim-she-was-kidnapped-by-israeli-forces/ )

&gt; … “We were kidnapped in international waters,” she tells reporters upon her arrival in Paris.

&gt;Thunberg, 22, arrived in Paris a day after the Israeli navy prevented her and a group of fellow pro-Palestinian activists from sailing to Gaza.

&gt;… She says the conditions they faced “are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now.”

&gt;“We were well aware of the risks of this mission,” Thunberg adds. “The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.” She says the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza.

&gt;Israel dismissed the effort as a publicity seeking “selfie yacht” and says that it was hardly carrying any aid.


[Greta Thunberg among voluntarily deported activists, eight remain in detention](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-857132 )

&gt; Four of the activists are departing the country, including Greta Thunberg. However, eight have refused to leave and will be transferred to Givon detention facility.

&gt;… "Anyone who refuses to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial body in accordance with Israeli law, in order to approve the deportation," the Foreign Ministry clarified.

&gt; Four of the activists are departing the country, including Greta Thunberg. However, eight have refused to leave and will be transferred to Givon detention facility.

&gt; The activists were given the option to sign a voluntary departure form or face arrest after 96 hours. Among those refusing to leave is French MEP Rima Hassan.

[Previously pinned comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Israel/s/f74xZa5wLU )

Am-Yisrael-Chai

I feel like the IDF giving her challah is next level trolling and soooo deserved.

Jacksthrowawayreddit

עדיף לשלוח אותם מקום סגור ליד עזה וכל פעם שיש טילים באזור שלהם לא לתת לכיפת ברזל לפעיל 

. בושה של אנשים כשהחטופים שלנו עדין שם ובאמת סובלים.

 לא הרגשתי כזה כעס לאחרים הרבה זמן. בא לי פשוט ללכת לאמצע הנגב בלי אינטרנט ולברוח מכל הדיבור מגעיל שלהם. אני ככ עייפה...

bluecomposer

A beautiful trip through the mediterranean, a nice sandwich from an IDF soldier, and  a free flight home? Anyone in Europe down for a cool vacation? /s

FreeTheLeopards

Different day entirely, but she has said that Israel and the IDF have "kidnapped her on International Waters."

Lunar55561

What a war crime giving her the kibtuz einat sandwiches (I am literally addicted to it*

hby20

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel's naval blockade. The vessel, organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters and escorted to Ashdod. Thunberg and others were deported, drawing international attention and criticism.

Israeli Interception of Gaza-Bound Aid Ship Carrying Greta Thunberg

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want