Israel said it had begun deporting 12 pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, after their Gaza-bound aid ship was intercepted by Israeli naval forces in the Mediterranean on Monday. The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a photo of Thunberg, which it said showed her leaving Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning after agreeing to be deported, and heading to Sweden via France.

As we wrote, Greta Thunberg and her companions tried to approach Gaza on the aid ship Madleen, but were unsuccessful. The ship was carrying a symbolic amount of food. Israeli forces intercepted the ship in international waters on Monday and towed it into the port of Ashdod. By Tuesday morning, it was clear that they would be deported, and by noon, the deportation had already taken place.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X earlier: “Our consul met with six French citizens detained by the Israeli authorities last night. One of them has voluntarily agreed to leave and is expected to return home today. The other five are facing deportation proceedings.” Barrot did not name them, but the six French citizens include MEP Rima Hassan and Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad. In addition to France and Sweden, the Madleen also had citizens from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey on board. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group that operates the ship, said in a statement on Monday evening that passengers who do not accept deportation could be sent to Ramle prison near Tel Aviv.

Israel says the blockade on Gaza is aimed at preventing weapons from reaching Hamas fighters. Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Katz warned on Sunday that Israel would counter any attempt to breach the blockade.