‘Media gimmick for publicity’: Greta’s ‘selfie yacht’ carrying Gaza aid is ‘safe’ and diverts to Israel | Here’s what happened

Just after the reports emerged that Greta Thunberg’s Mladen, which was carrying aid for Gaza, was surrounded by Israeli troops, Netanyahu’s foreign ministry shared photos and videos of the “safe” and “unharmed” crew of the ship.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry took to the social media platform X and shared a photo of Greta in which she was seen smiling.

“Greta Thunberg is currently on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits,” the ministry wrote.

The ministry further shared a video of the crew members of Greta’s ship in which they were seen wearing life jackets and smiling while Israeli troops distributed sandwiches and water to them.

“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over,” the ministry wrote.

‘Selfie yacht’

Israel also took a dig at the Gaza aid ship by calling it a “selfie yacht” and claiming that it was just for publicity and a “media gimmick.”

“The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X.

“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid,” Israel alleged.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the “celebrities” will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the ministry declared.

What happened?

This all happened after a report by the Daily Mail that several Israeli ships had surrounded Greta’s ship, and some of the Israeli troops had entered Greta’s ship.

In a video that surfaced online, climate activist Greta Thunberg claimed that she and other people - onboard the Mladen ship carrying aid for Gaza have been kidnapped by the Israeli forces.

“My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden,” Greta said in the video.

“If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,” she added in the clip, asking for help.