Athens, Greece, October 7(HS): Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and 160 international campaigners arrived in Athens on Monday, welcomed by a surge of supporters after their deportation from Israel following a dramatic attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by sea. The activists, who were intercepted by the Israeli navy on their way from Barcelona, had sought to challenge Israel’s blockade of the conflict-ridden territory.

Many returned to Europe alleging mistreatment, including deprivation of food and water, sleep deprivation, and physical assaults during detention in Israeli high-security prisons.Thunberg, denouncing Israel’s siege as “inhumane,” called for global action to prevent what she termed a “genocide” of Palestinians, as activists unfurled a large Palestinian flag and chanted pro-Palestine slogans in Athens airport’s arrivals hall.

French-Palestinian parliamentarian Rima Hassan reported being assaulted by Israeli police, while flotilla organizers described their group as having been treated “like animals” and “terrorists”.

Israeli authorities dismissed allegations of mistreatment, branding the flotilla as an offshoot of Hamas and asserting its violation of a prohibited maritime zone.

Official figures state a total of 171 activists were deported to Greece and Slovakia, with over 470 detained and 138 still held in Israel. The Greek foreign ministry confirmed the repatriation flight included nationals from multiple European countries, as Brussels, Washington, and Ottawa monitored the return of their citizens.

Israel maintains that little humanitarian aid was found aboard the vessels, insisting on the flotilla’s ties to banned groups. The activists’ expulsion marks a stark episode in the ongoing struggle over Gaza’s fate, intensifying calls for increased international engagement and humanitarian response.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar