Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday urged countries that have recognised a Palestinian state to move beyond symbolic gestures and take concrete steps to pressure Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza.
Thunberg made the call via video conference from near Greece as she joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of more than 50 boats carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza. “These symbolic gestures will lead nowhere unless they are accompanied with real action,” she said.
She argued that states have a legal duty to prevent what UN investigators and rights groups have described as genocide, though Israel rejects that characterisation, insisting its campaign is a response to Hamas and that recognition of a Palestinian state rewards terrorism.
The conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, has left more than 65,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities, alongside 1,200 Israelis, with 251 taken hostage.
This is Thunberg’s second attempt to breach Israel’s blockade, which has been in place since 2007. She and other activists were intercepted and deported in June. The new flotilla—named after the Arabic word sumud meaning “steadfastness”—involves participants from 44 countries.
The convoy has already reported being targeted by drone strikes in Tunisia earlier this month, though no injuries occurred. Thunberg said the risks activists face are minor compared with the dangers endured by Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed the flotilla as serving Hamas rather than civilians.
Thunberg recently resigned from the flotilla’s steering committee over differences in communications strategy but said she remained committed to the cause, adding that she hoped to be more effective outside a leadership role
