‘Dragged by her hair, forced to kiss the flag’: Greta Thunberg’s ordeal in Israeli custody
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has told Swedish authorities that she faced “harsh treatment” while in Israeli custody after being detained from a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to an internal Swedish foreign ministry email reported by The Guardian.
The 22-year-old climate campaigner was among hundreds of activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces on Thursday. Thunberg was reportedly detained after her vessel was seized and taken to Ashdod port.
In a note circulated among her associates, a Swedish foreign ministry official said Thunberg described being held “in a bedbug-infested cell” with inadequate food and water.
“She informed of dehydration and rashes she believes were caused by bedbugs. She said she sat for long periods on hard surfaces and received insufficient food,” the email read.
The official added that another detainee claimed Thunberg was forced to pose for photographs holding flags, raising concerns that such images could have been used for propaganda.
Several released flotilla members corroborated her claims. A Turkish activist told the Anadolu agency: “They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.”
Italian journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino, another participant, said Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy.”
Lawyers from the rights group Adalah said detainees were denied food, water, sanitation, and legal access for hours — violations they called “a clear breach of fundamental rights.”
The Italian legal team assisting the flotilla reported that most detainees received no food until late at night — “except for a packet of crisps handed to Greta for the cameras.”
Israeli forces reportedly detained over 450 activists from more than 40 boats in the operation. Most remain held at a high-security Negev prison, where Palestinian security prisoners are usually kept.
During a visit to the port of Ashdod, Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists “terrorists.”
The Israeli embassy dismissed the reports as “complete lies”, claiming all detainees were provided with food, water, legal counsel, and medical care.