Greta Thunberg has been deported, Israel says

She has been deported

The country says it has deported the activists to Greece and Slovakia.

The group had already announced overnight that the 22-year-old would be flown to Greece today.

The Swedish activist is one of 450 people that were detained by Israel last week when its military intercepted the flotilla.

Before being deported Israel had been accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in a ‘bedbug-infested cell,’ following the activist’s earlier claim that she had been ‘abducted’ by the country.

Thunberg, along with other activists, has tried various times to get into Gaza to provide aid to those who are suffering under the blockade carried out by Israeli forces.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says that one in three people is going without food for days at a time.

Organisations have been continuously trying to get aid into Gaza to help those suffering.

Thunberg, who was travelling with a group of activists on the Freedom Flotilla boat, was previously ‘kidnapped’ by Israeli forces, stating in a video shared on Instagram that she’d been ‘abducted’.

A correspondence reviewed by The Guardian claims that Israeli forces are making Thunberg ‘hold flags’ while in custody, although the specific flags have not been identified.

In an email penned by the Swedish foreign ministry to those close to Thunberg, it states that an official who visited the activist in prison reported that her cell was ‘infested with bedbugs, with too little food and water’, per The Guardian.

The email reads: “The embassy has been able to meet with Greta. She was 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.”

The Swedish ministry’s official continued: “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.”

The Israeli embassy has dismissed the claims as ‘complete lies’ and adds: “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.

“Israel is and will remain a state governed by the rule of law, committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals in accordance with international standards,” it said.