Greta Thunberg ‘held in cell with bedbugs and made to kiss the Israeli flag’

Greta Thunberg has claimed she is living in a cell infested with bedbugs with little food and water, The Guardian has reported.

The activist, 22, reportedly told Swedish officials about harsh conditions in Israeli custody, which included dehydration and sitting ‘for long periods on hard surfaces’.

Other freed detainees have claimed that the climate change campaigner was dragged by her hair and beaten in front of them, accusations which the Israeli embassy has called ‘complete lies’.

Thunberg was among 437 activists on board the Global Sumud flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces this week before they could deliver aid to Gaza.

Many are being held at high-security Ketziot prison, which is primarily used to detain Palestinian security prisoners.

The Guardian has reported that it has seen correspondence from Swedish officials detailing a visit to Thunberg in her prison cell.

The email reads: ‘The embassy has been able to meet with Greta. She informed of dehydration.

‘She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes, which she suspects were caused by bedbugs.

‘She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.’

The official also discusses the report of another detainee, who said ‘they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken.’

That allegation has been supported by at least two other members of the aid flotilla who were released on Saturday.

Turkish activist Ersin Celik detailed allegations of brutal treatment faced by Thunberg at the hands of Israeli security personnel.

He told Anadolu news agency: ‘They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others.’

Another flotilla participant, journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino, claimed the Swedish activist was ‘wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy’.

‘They treated us like animals,’ said Malaysian activist Hazwani Helmi as they corroborated D’Agostino’s account of events.

Thunberg was part of the 40 boat flotilla which was intercepted by the Israeli navy on Thursday and Friday.

Just before soldiers boarded Greta’s boat, she addressed followers on camera, declaring Israel must be held accountable for ‘war crimes’.

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The mission is the largest effort of its kind, aiming to reach Gaza, where 2.4million Palestinians live under an Israeli blockade.

It is the second time she was arrested, after a similar attempt earlier this year saw her confined and then deported.

Israeli prison officials have faced accusations of torture and degrading treatment of prisoners before.

A report by Amnesty International in November 2023 said ‘Videos and images have been shared widely online showing gruesome scenes of Israeli soldiers beating and humiliating Palestinians while detaining them blind-folded, stripped, with their hands tied, in a particularly chilling public display of torture and humiliation of Palestinian detainees.’

The Swedish foreign ministry said its embassy officials had visited nine detained Swedes on Friday: ‘The Swedish embassy in Tel Aviv remains in contact with Israeli authorities to stress the importance of swift processing and the possibility of returning home to Sweden.

‘Based on discussions with detained individuals, the importance of addressing individual medical needs was also emphasised.

‘Moreover, the embassy stressed that food and clean water must be provided immediately, and that all detainees must be given access to Israeli legal counsel, if desired.’

The Israeli embassy called the allegations ‘complete lies’.

Their statement said: ‘All detainees from the Hamas-Sumud provocation were given access to water, food and toilets; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights, including access to medical care, were fully upheld.

‘Israel is and will remain a state governed by the rule of law, committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals in accordance with international standards.’

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