How Israel Plans to Derail Greta Thunberg’s Gaza Flotilla
Israel is preparing a robust response to the Global Sumud Flotilla, led by Greta Thunberg, which seeks to breach its Gaza blockade, viewing it as a publicity stunt that distracts from secure aid channels.
On August 31, 2025, a flotilla of over 20 vessels, dubbed the Global Sumud Flotilla, departed from Barcelona, Sicily, Greece, and Tunisia, aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and establish a “humanitarian corridor.” Led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, joined by Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortágua and activists from 44 countries, the effort is promoted by the Barcelona Radical Book Fair as the “largest international civil humanitarian movement” against Israel. Critics argue this high-profile stunt, involving figures like Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, wastes resources and distracts from secure aid delivery methods like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, while failing to address Hamas’s role in Gaza’s crisis.
In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a high-level meeting on August 31 to strategize Israel’s response. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir advocated for severe measures, developed in an August 28 meeting with police and Prison Service officials. These include detaining activists in “terrorist-level conditions” at Ktzi’ot and Damon prisons, without access to television, radio, or enhanced meals, for weeks rather than overnight. Ben-Gvir’s plan also involves seizing the vessels for police maritime operations, a move already approved judicially. Sources close to Ben-Gvir stated, “Previous gentle handling failed. After several weeks at Ktzi’ot and Damon, they’ll regret ever arriving. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.”
This marks Thunberg’s second attempt to challenge the blockade. In June 2025, she was detained aboard the Madleen, deported with four others, and banned from Israel for 100 years. In Paris, she claimed Israel’s Navy “kidnapped” her. In reality her and her fellow travellers all received sandwiches and water and were told to voluntarily leave Israel, a far far cry from the actual hostages who are still being held captive in Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
The IDF emphasizes the blockade’s necessity to prevent Hamas weapons smuggling, with a spokesperson stating on August 11, “The military enforces the security naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a wide range of scenarios, which it will act upon in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.” The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, continues to drive Israel’s security measures. Critics argue that such flotillas, rather than aiding Gazans, fuel antisemitism and ignore Hamas’s aid diversion and attacks on distribution points, all while Israel and the USA continue to provide meals to millions of Gazans.