Activists from Sumud Flotilla arrive in Athens after deportation from 'Israel'

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, arrived in Athens on Monday after being deported from 'Israel', where they had been detained by authorities for attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

'Israeli' authorities said they deported 171 activists who were detained for taking part in the flotilla bound for Gaza, noting that those expelled hold various nationalities, including Greek, Italian, French, and American.

Speaking upon her arrival at Athens International Airport, Thunberg sharply criticized world governments for their handling of the Gaza crisis, saying they were doing “only the bare minimum” to stop what she described as the “genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The deportation follows several days of detention after the activists sought to break the blockade on Gaza as part of a humanitarian initiative aimed at supporting Palestinian civilians.

The 171 activists arrived in Greece on Monday to a welcome from human rights organizations, which renewed calls for increased international pressure to end the blockade and deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.