(MENAFN) Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg made her first public remarks on Monday after being freed from an Israeli prison, where she was allegedly assaulted and forced to kiss the Israeli flag, according to reports.

Thunberg was among more than 170 individuals detained and later deported by Israeli forces for joining a humanitarian flotilla destined for Gaza. Following their release, the group was transported to Greece and Slovakia.

Supporters cheered as Thunberg and her fellow activists landed in Greece, welcoming them after what was described as a harrowing experience.

Speaking at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, Thunberg stressed that her own suffering was not the central issue.

“I can talk for a very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me,” she said.

“But that is not the story. Let me be very clear: there is a genocide going on in front of our very eyes, a live-streamed genocide,” Thunberg said.

“No one has the privilege to say we are not aware of what's happening. No one in the future will be able to say we did not know.”

Thunberg directly accused Israel of escalating violence in Gaza, describing the situation as an intentional attempt to wipe out an entire population.

“We cannot take our eyes away from Gaza, from all the places of the world that are suffering, living on the forefront of this business-as-usual system: Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Gaza and many, many more,” she added. “What we are doing is the bare minimum.

"I will never comprehend how humans can be so evil. That you would deliberately starve millions of people living trapped under an illegal siege as a continuation of decades of oppression and apartheid."

In a video message shared on her Instagram account, Thunberg described the Global Sumud Flotilla as an act of “international solidarity” with Palestinians. She asserted that Israel had breached international law by blocking humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza and argued that “our imprisonment by Israel is a direct result of our governments.”

"States have a legal obligation to end their complicity in genocide, which the UN commissioner now also confirmed it is," she highlighted, emphasizing that Israel has "no impunity" from the genocide.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to challenge the Israeli blockade and deliver essential supplies to Gaza, approached the region’s coastal waters on October 1. According to reports, Israeli forces intercepted the mission, seizing dozens of vessels and detaining hundreds of participants.

This operation marked the largest collective humanitarian flotilla ever organized to bring aid to Gaza, underscoring the growing international outcry against the ongoing blockade and humanitarian crisis.

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