Israel deports Greta Thunberg after Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized

JERUSALEM AP Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday the country s Foreign Ministry revealed a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military Thunberg left on a flight to France and was then headed to her home country of Sweden the Foreign Ministry announced in a post on X It posted a photo of Thunberg a setting activist who shuns air advance seated on a plane Thunberg was one of passengers on the Madleen a ship carrying aid to Gaza that was meant to protest Israel s ongoing war there and shed light on the humanitarian predicament in the Palestinian territory according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition the group behind the journey Israeli naval forces seized the boat without episode early Monday about kilometers miles off of Gaza s coast according to the coalition which along with rights groups declared Israel s actions were a violation of international law Israel rejects that charge because it says such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza The boat accompanied by Israel s navy arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod Monday evening according to the Foreign Ministry Other activists face deportation The Freedom Flotilla Coalition disclosed three activists including Thunberg had been deported along with a journalist It noted it had encouraged a few of the group to do this so they could speak freely about their experiences Eight other passengers refused deportation and were being held in detention before their development is to be heard by Israeli bureaucrats Adalah a legal rights group in Israel representing the activists disclosed the eight were expected to be brought before a court later Tuesday Their detention is unlawful politically motivated and a direct violation of international law the coalition announced in a message It called for the remaining passengers to be disclosed without deportation and revealed their lawyers would demand that they be allowed to complete their journey to Gaza Sabine Haddad a spokeswoman for Israel s Interior Ministry reported the activists who were being deported Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge Those who did not will face one and will be held for hours before being deported she reported Rima Hassan a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent was also among the passengers on board the Madleen She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians It was not clear whether she was being forthwith deported or detained French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot explained Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France The other five refused He revealed all the activists received consular visits Sergio Toribio a Spanish activist who was deported slammed Israel s actions after he arrived in Barcelona It is unforgivable it is a violation of our rights It is a pirate attack in international waters he informed reporters Questions over a breach of international law On Monday Adalah the rights group mentioned that Israel had no legal authority to take over the ship because the group reported it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the territorial waters of the state of Palestine The arrest of the unarmed activists who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid amounts to a serious breach of international law Adalah reported in a declaration Amnesty International stated Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists directly and unconditionally Israel announced its actions were consistent with international law Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt calling it the selfie yacht Israeli bureaucrats stated that the flotilla was bringing meager aid with what amounted to less than a truckload of goods A longstanding blockade of Gaza Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza s Palestinian population During the -month-long war in Gaza Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory including food fuel and medicine Experts say that guidelines has pushed Gaza toward famine Israel says Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule Hamas-led militants killed around people mostly civilians in the Oct attack that ignited the war and took hostages the majority of whom have since been issued in ceasefire agreements or other deals Hamas is still holding hostages more than half of them thought to be dead Israel s military campaign has killed more than Palestinians according to the Gaza Medical Ministry which doesn t distinguish between civilians and combatants but has stated that women and children make up the majority of the dead The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around of the territory s population leaving people there almost wholly dependent on international aid