Israel has responded to recent events involving Greta Thunberg, who was reportedly ‘mistreated’ and detained in poor conditions, allegedly including a ‘bedbug infested cell’.
Thunberg, who had earlier been ‘captured’ by Israeli authorities when a Freedom Flotilla boat she was on was stopped, released a video online claiming she had been ‘abducted’. The 22-year-old has made several attempts to enter Gaza to provide assistance to those impacted by the blockade enforced by Israeli forces.
Reports of ‘widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease’ have emerged from Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel.
According to a report by The Guardian, Israeli forces allegedly compelled Thunberg to ‘hold flags’ while in custody after her detention.
An email from the Swedish foreign ministry to Thunberg’s associates reported that an official visiting her in prison noted her cell was ‘infested with bedbugs, with too little food and water’.
The email stated: “The embassy has been able to meet with Greta. She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”
Additionally, a Swedish ministry official noted: “Another detainee reportedly told another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed.”
Israel’s foreign ministry announced on Monday (October 6) that Thunberg, along with 170 other activists, has been deported.
Images released by Israeli officials show Thunberg at an airport dressed in gray sweatsuits and white t-shirts.
Israel maintains that ‘all the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld’, describing the accusations as part of a ‘pre-planned fake news campaign’.
Israel dismissed the allegations regarding the ‘bedbug infested cell’ as ‘complete lies’, asserting: “All detainees from the Hamas-Sumud provocation were given access to water, food, and toilets; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights, including access to medical care, were fully upheld.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla dispatched over 40 boats and nearly 450 activists to support those in Gaza; however, these efforts were intercepted by Israeli forces.