Climate activist Greta Thunberg from Sweden was sent out of Israel after its naval forces captured her flotilla heading towards Gaza, as stated by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry said Tuesday that Thunberg was on a flight headed back to Sweden via France. 

“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.

Thunberg and three other activists were taken to Ben Gurion Airport for deportation. Meanwhile, eight others, one of whom is a European Parliament member, did not sign the deportation documents, as reported by the Times of Israel.

According to Adalah, an Israeli organization, Thunberg, age 22, mentioned to her lawyers that she believed she could be “more effective outside of Israel” and that staying would “damage” her mission, as reported by the Times of Israel.

Israel said it deported Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. (Courtesy)

When asked about Thunberg’s claim that she had been “kidnapped,” President Donald Trump said, “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.” The president called the climate activist a “strange person” and told reporters that she needed “anger management” courses.

Thunberg was one of 12 people aboard the flotilla, which Israel dubbed the “selfie yacht,” claiming that the entire thing was a publicity stunt. The Madleen was carrying aid for the people of Gaza, though Israel said that the ship contained less than a single truckload. 

Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands near a Palestinian flag after boarding the Madleen boat and before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

“The tiny amount of aid that wasn’t consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X after the Madleen was intercepted. “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve provocations and selfies.”

Israel said on Monday that more than 1,200 aid trucks had entered Gaza over the past two weeks, and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed organization, had delivered almost 11 million meals to the civilians in Gaza.