A Turkish activist who was detained alongside the 22-year-old claimed she had been beaten, dragged by her hair and forced to kiss an Israeli flag
October 6, 2025 14:01
Greta Thunberg did not make any claims of being “tortured” by the IDF, despite her fellow activist sharing such allegations with international media.
Thunberg was aboard one of the more than 50 vessels that were intercepted by the Israeli navy as they attempted to breach the long-standing naval blockade of the territory, with their crew detained for deportation.
Since then, Turkish activist Ersin Celik has accused the IDF of mistreating detainees, particularly the 22-year-old Swede, whom he said had been “tortured” and “tormented”.
He alleged: “They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.
"They did everything imaginable to her as a warning to others.”
He also claimed that soldiers woke activists every two hours to deprive them of sleep, denied them medical care, and restricted access to food and water.
However, he did not provide any evidence to corroborate his claims and no other detainees have yet made any allegations of mistreatment.
Nonetheless, claims of her mistreatment were shared widely, including by former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and the Swedish Foreign Ministry.
Now, though, court documents released by the Israeli Interior Ministry show that Thunberg herself did not make any reference to the alleged abuses.
During the part of the hearing reserved for her comments, the hearing minutes state: “She wants to return to her country, she has a valid passport.
"[She] requests that medication be given to those held in custody. She has nothing to add beyond that.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has also released a photograph of Thunberg at the airport before being deported from the country, for the second time this year, in which she has no visible injuries.
A spokesperson for the ministry said: “All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld.
“The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign.
“The only violent incident came from a Hamas–Sumud provocateur who bit a female medical staff member of Ketsiyot Prison.
“Don’t believe the fake news they are spreading.”
It comes after Israel released documents purporting to show links between senior figures in the flotilla campaign and Hamas.
The first document, a 2021 letter from then-Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, gives the group’s endorsement to the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), which Israel has alleged acts as Hamas’ representatives abroad. Indeed, Israel designated the PCPA as a terrorist group in its own right in 2021.
The other document is a list of alleged PCPA activists, including activist Zaher Birawi, who has led the flotilla movement for the past 15 years and chairs the Europal Forum, a pro-Palestine lobbying group.
Birawi, a journalist based in London, has previously faced allegations of being linked to Hamas and was described as a “senior Hamas operative” by Labour MP Christian Wakeford during a parliamentary debate in 2023.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry claimed: “This confirms that key assets of the flotilla are effectively owned and controlled by Hamas.
"They clarify the chain of command and financial support behind these operations, which have long been presented under civilian pretence.
"These documents expose the depth of Hamas’ international network and its operational control over individuals leading the flotilla.”
Neither Birawi, the PCPA nor the EuroPal forum responded to the JC’s requests for comment.
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