Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is receiving criticism for using a photo of an emaciated Israeli hostage in an Instagram post intended to highlight Palestinian suffering.
The post stated, “The suffering of Palestinian prisoners is not a matter of opinion — it is a fact of systemic cruelty and dehumanization. Humanity cannot be selective. Justice cannot have borders.” This post featured three images, one being Evyatar David, a hostage taken from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023.
The picture of David was a still from a Hamas propaganda video. In this video, David appears extremely weak, discussing his captivity conditions and claims of not having eaten for days. A particularly shocking moment shows his captors forcing him to dig his own grave.
The initial slide of the post mentioned, “The world is rightly horrified by what the Sumud Flotilla hostages are enduring,” referring to individuals arrested after Israel intercepted their fleet last week. It stated that their suffering is significant and no one should face such pain, fear, or humiliation. The post then compared this to the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, arguing that over 11,000 Palestinian “hostages and prisoners” endure unsanitary and inhumane conditions.
The group also shared a 2015 video in their post that showed Ahmad Manasra, then 13, who was arrested in connection with a Jerusalem stabbing attack during what is commonly known as the “Knife Intifada,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
Galia David, the mother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, is seen holding an image of her son during a press conference after meeting with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at their headquarters in Geneva, on Aug. 12, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a screenshot of the deleted slide next to a zoomed-in version of the still image of David, declaring, “Ignorance blinded by hate is trending.”
“Greta Thunberg posted about ‘Palestinian prisoners’ using the image of Israeli hostage Evyatar David – starved, abused, and forced by Palestinian Hamas to dig his own grave,” the ministry wrote on X.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg sits near an Israeli soldier after naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla. (Israel Foreign Ministry)
Thunberg, who became renowned for her climate activism while still in high school, has become a vocal critic of Israel since the war in Gaza began. She has participated in two Gaza-bound aid flotillas, both of which were intercepted by Israeli forces.
Fox News Digital reached out to Thunberg for comment.
