Climate activist Greta Thunberg’s reported complaints of harsh conditions while detained in Israel have been flatly rejected by the Israeli government.
Israeli officials called the claims “ludicrous” and “brazen lies.”
According to The Guardian, Swedish Foreign Ministry correspondence indicates Thunberg told diplomats she suffered rashes “possibly caused by bedbugs.”
She also said she sat for hours on hard surfaces and endured dehydration during her detention last week.
A letter shared with her parents also reportedly described “harsh and exhausting” treatment.
The 22-year-old activist was among roughly 450 detainees from more than a dozen countries held after Israel’s navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on October 1.
The 42-boat convoy, which had set sail from Turkey, attempted to breach Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid.
However, despite Thunberg’s claimed mission, none of the ships in the flotilla were carrying any aid on board.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video on X showing Israel’s Police Spokesperson, Lieutenant Dean Elsdunne, giving a tour of one of the largest boats in the flotilla.
“I’m sure you guys can guess where I am, cause it’s pretty much an empty room,” Elsdunne says in the video.
“That’s right, I’m inside one of the vessels, one of the largest vessels to come in this Yom Kippur Flotilla, and while we’re processing this boat, there’s one thing missing, guys: all this aid that they were supposed to bring into Gaza, which explains one thing to me.
“I’m sure it explains to you that when we and multiple other countries offered them to take this aid and bring it to the Gazans, we could facilitate its safe arrival; they flat-out rejected it.
“And now we know why, cause it was never about bringing aid to Gazans, but it was all about the headlines and the social media followings.”
WATCH:
.@IsraelPolice is looking for the humanitarian aid from the Hamas-Sumud provocation so it can be transferred peacefully to Gaza.
The only problem: so far they haven’t found much.
Like we said, it was never about the aid. It was always about the provocation. pic.twitter.com/AbL52UGQCv
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 2, 2025
Israel Pushes Back
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed Thunberg’s alleged account on Sunday, stating detainees’ “legal rights were fully upheld” and that she “did not complain to Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations because they never occurred.”
Officials emphasized that all detainees had access to food, water, legal counsel, and medical care, and accused Thunberg and her supporters of fabricating claims to smear Israel.
Court documents from an Oct. 5 hearing before Israel’s Population and Migration Tribunal appear to back up the official account, showing Thunberg requested deportation to Sweden but filed no formal complaint of mistreatment while in custody.
The ministry also highlighted that one Spanish flotilla detainee allegedly bit a female medical worker at Ketziot Prison, underscoring what officials called the unruly behavior of some participants.
Political Reaction
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir doubled down, describing the flotilla activists as “supporters of terrorism” and saying he was “proud they experienced the same conditions as terrorist detainees.”
Thunberg, who has become a polarizing figure worldwide for her outspoken climate activism and anti-Israel campaigning, has not publicly commented since her reported remarks were leaked.
The episode adds fuel to a growing war of words over the flotilla, which Israel views as a political stunt aimed at delegitimizing its Gaza blockade.
READ MORE – Greta Thunberg Insider Blows Whistle: ‘Climate Change’ Is a ‘Scam’
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