Greta Thunberg and ‘selfie yacht’ pals refused to watch ‘horror film of the Oct. 7 massacre’: Israel

Greta Thunberg and several other activists aboard a Gaza-bound yacht were detained by Israeli forces for attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Upon their arrival in the port of Ashdod, they were shown a film detailing Hamas’ massacre of over 1,000 people in Israel. However, Thunberg and her companions refused to continue watching the film, which Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, described as a horror film of the October 7 massacre.

Katz criticized the activists for turning a blind eye to the truth and ignoring the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children. Thunberg, along with two other activists and a journalist, agreed to be deported from Israel. They were flown back to Sweden via France, while other activists who refused deportation remained in detention awaiting their cases to be heard.

The activists claimed they were protesting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza following the conflict that began with Hamas’ terror attack 20 months ago. Israel has maintained that ships like the one Thunberg was on violate its naval blockade of Gaza.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Israel dismissed the incident as a stunt, pointing out how the celebrities onboard, including Irish actor Liam Cunningham, had posed for smiling pictures on social media. The Israeli ministry reassured that the “selfie yacht” of the “celebrities” was safely making its way to the shores of Israel, with the passengers provided with sandwiches and water.

The saga of Thunberg and the detained activists on the Gaza-bound yacht highlights the ongoing tensions in the region and the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The refusal to watch the film depicting Hamas’ atrocities and the subsequent deportation of the activists underscore the deep-rooted divisions and differing perspectives on the situation in Gaza.