Stockholm, Sweden - Climate activist Greta Thunberg alleges she was subjected to insect bites while briefly detained by Israeli police following an attempt to breach a naval blockade aimed at delivering aid to Gaza, as tensions escalate over the humanitarian crisis in the region. Together, the israeli Navy reported confrontations with activists aboard the Sumud flotilla and a newly approaching Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel, alleging physical altercations.
Thunberg, participating in the Sumud flotilla, was detained along with other activists on September 26, 2025, after the group attempted to sail to Gaza. she claims conditions during her detention included bedbug infestations. “They put me in a cell with bedbugs,” Thunberg reportedly stated after her release. Israeli authorities have not yet responded to the specific allegations. The Sumud flotilla, the latest in a series of attempts to challenge Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of Gaza, set sail in late August. Similar missions were intercepted in June and July, coinciding with growing international condemnation of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Israeli Navy also reported incidents involving physical assaults by activists. According to a statement, crew members on the Sumud flotilla allegedly punched Israeli naval personnel attempting to enforce the blockade. Details of any injuries sustained were not immediately available. A nine-boat flotilla organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition,carrying approximately 100 activists,is currently approaching Gaza from Italy and was near the coast of Alexandria,Egypt,as of Saturday. Israeli officials have characterized both the Sumud and Freedom Flotilla missions as “pro-Hamas media stunts.”
the unfolding events occur against a backdrop of severe food insecurity in Gaza. A UN report in August,which Israel has rejected,declared a famine in parts of northern Gaza. Israel previously blocked aid entry into Gaza for nearly three months following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, and now accuses Hamas of systematically looting incoming aid.
Simultaneously occurring, the High Court of Justice last month ruled that Israel had failed to adequately feed Palestinian security prisoners, ordering the Israel Prison Service (IPS) – under the authority of minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir – to provide sufficient food “to enable a basic existence.” Palestinian prisoners have repeatedly voiced complaints regarding dire detention conditions.
