Who Is Greta Thunberg, Climate Activist On Gaza-Bound Ship Intercepted by Israel

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is once again in the spotlight, this time for her humanitarian work, carrying aid to Gaza aboard a ship, which was intercepted by Israel on Monday morning. She was accompanied by 13 other activists, including the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rima Hassan, who represents France.  

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, operated by the Pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was sailing to the war-torn city to provide humanitarian aid - baby formula, rice and medical supplies.

On Monday, Ms Thunberg claimed the vessel was "kidnapped" in international waters on June 9, approximately 20 nautical miles off Egypt's coast. The Israeli forces disputed the claim, saying the interception was lawful. All passengers were unharmed, provided sandwiches and water and the vessel was redirected to the Israeli port.

Who Is Greta Thunberg?

Born on January 3, 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden, Greta Thunberg is known for starting the 'Fridays for Future' movement by skipping school every Friday to protest outside the parliament in 2018. She first learned about climate change when she was eight years old and became deeply concerned about the worsening climate conditions.

At the age of 11, she went into depression, stopped eating, and barely spoke for months. She was later diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (a form of autism), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and selective mutism. In 2019, she spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York and later became the youngest person to receive TIME Magazine's Person of the Year title.

In 2020, she spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos and later met Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize-winner for championing Pakistani women's education. Ms Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban when she was a schoolgirl.

She also released a documentary titled 'I Am Greta' which shows her journey from being a quiet teenager to a global climate activist.

In 2021, during a speech at the Youth4Climate Summit in Milan, Ms Thunberg criticised world leaders, including then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and then US President Joe Biden, for failing to fulfil their promises to address the climate crisis. In 2022, she released "The Climate Book," a compilation of essays from hundreds of experts focusing on changes to the Earth's climate. She was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list in 2023.

Several species have been named after Ms Thunberg to honour her efforts in raising global awareness about climate change. Some of these are Nelima Thunbergae (spider found in Germany), Nelloptodes gretae (beetle found in Kenya), Craspedotropis gretathunbergae (snail found in Borneo's rainforests), and Pristimantis gretathunbergae (frog found in Panama).