Greta Thunberg asserts that she has been taken by Israeli naval forces after being removed from her ‘Freedom Flotilla’ as it approached the restricted Gaza Strip. 

In a video shared to X on Thursday, Thunberg said: ‘My name is Greta Thunberg. I’m a citizen of Sweden.

‘If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces.

‘Our humanitarian endeavor was peaceful and in compliance with international law. Please urge my government to request my immediate release and that of others.’

According to onboard reports, at least 19 vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla were stopped and boarded by the Israeli navy as they neared Palestinian waters on Wednesday evening. 

The Sirius, Alma and Adara boats were stopped some 70 nautical miles (80 miles) from the coast of Gaza, according to organizers who shared live positions of the flotilla. 

Footage posted to X by the Israel Foreign Ministry shows Swedish climate activist Thunberg among those detained by officials.

She could be seen taking out a bottle of water and putting on a green frog bucket hat and a white coat while retrieving her belongings.

Greta Thunberg claimed in a post to X that she had been ‘abducted’ by Israeli forces on her way to Gaza

Greta Thunberg is seen here being hauled off her ‘Freedom Flotilla’ by Israeli naval forces as it neared the besieged Gaza Strip

Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon, along with Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, are part of the controversial convoy of around 43 boats and 500 activists and aid workers sailing on what they describe as a ‘peaceful mission’ to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.

Thunberg was deported by Israel in June when the ship she was travelling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the military. 

The flotilla said its vessels were being boarded by the Israeli navy as it approached Palestinian territory, with their cameras taken offline.

The fleet with Thunberg and several activists and European lawmakers aboard, consists of nearly 50 boats.

The flotilla had earlier vowed to press on with its bid to deliver aid to the devastated coastal territory despite what it called ‘intimidation’ tactics by the Israeli military. 

It said on X that it remained ‘vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked’. 

Greg Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the boats in the flotilla, said around a dozen naval vessels with their transponders off had approached it.

‘They are currently hailing our vessels, telling us to turn off our engines and await further instructions or our boats will be seized and we will face the consequences,’ he said in a shaky video while wearing a red life jacket.

Greta Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025

A further statement from the flotilla said: ‘Around 8:30pm Gaza time, several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters.

‘Beyond the confirmed interceptions, live streams and communications with several other vessels have been lost.’

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that the navy had reached out to the flotilla to ask them to change course and to warn them that they are approaching ‘an active combat zone.’

It reiterated its offer to transfer the aid to Gaza through other channels.

The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday afternoon and had entered what activists and others called a ‘danger zone’ or ‘high risk zone.’ 

While still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has stopped other boats attempting to break its blockade in the past and which the flotilla was warned not to cross.

The Sirius, Alma and Adara boats were intercepted some 70 nautical miles (80 miles) from the coast of Gaza

There were fears the voyage could end in disaster as the 500-strong crew ignored repeated warnings and refused to hand over the aid to be delivered by land crossing. 

On Tuesday night, activists said two Israeli warships aggressively approached two of their boats, circling them and jamming their communications, including the live cameras on board.

‘It was an intimidation act. They wanted us to see them,’ said Lisi Proença, another activist who was on board the Sirius, a vessel that was targeted alongside the Alma.

The flotilla, which began its journey from the Spanish port of Barcelona a month ago, aimed to reach the shores of Gaza by Thursday morning.

But activists knew that was unlikely and said that they were expecting Israeli authorities to try to stop them at any moment, as they have done in past attempts.