Brussels, MINA – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Monday condemned what she described as an ongoing “genocide” in Gaza, speaking publicly for the first time since her release from Israeli detention, Anadolu Agency reported.
Thunberg was among 171 activists deported by Israel after being detained for participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian convoy attempting to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade. The group was flown to Greece and Slovakia following their release.
Welcomed by supporters at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, Thunberg said that while she could recount the mistreatment she and others endured, that was not the central issue.
“I can talk for a very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me,” she said. “But that is not the story. There is a genocide going on in front of our very eyes — a live-streamed genocide.”
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She accused Israel of escalating what she called “mass destruction with genocide of intent,” aiming to erase “an entire population.” Thunberg added that no one could claim ignorance about what is happening in Gaza.
The activist broadened her remarks to include other crises around the world, citing Congo, Sudan, and Afghanistan, saying all were suffering under “this business-as-usual system.”
“I will never comprehend how humans can be so evil,” Thunberg said. “That you would deliberately starve millions of people trapped under an illegal siege as part of decades of oppression and apartheid.”
In a video posted to her Instagram account, Thunberg said the Global Sumud Flotilla was an act of “international solidarity” with Palestinians. She argued that Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid violated international law and that governments were complicit through inaction.
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“States have a legal obligation to end their complicity in genocide,” she said, emphasizing that Israel “has no impunity” under international law.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest convoy ever organized to deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli naval forces on Oct. 1, who seized dozens of ships and detained hundreds of passengers in international waters. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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