Greta Thunberg Receives Reality Check from Expert as She Sets Sail for Gaza

Greta Thunberg’s latest attempt to turn her global notoriety into pro-Hamas activism is already running into trouble.

The 21-year-old activist, who once lectured world leaders on carbon emissions but now devotes her platform to demonizing Israel, joined a high-profile flotilla bound for Gaza on Sunday. Departing from Barcelona, Spain, the convoy — more than 70 boats strong — was billed as both a humanitarian mission and a media spectacle.

But nature had other plans. The fleet was forced to turn back after being battered by winds of up to 35 mph, according to The Times of Israel.

“We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass. This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats,” the Global Sumud Flotilla Mission announced.

This is not Thunberg’s first foray into Gaza-bound activism. Her previous trip ended with detention and deportation after Israeli forces blocked her convoy from docking. This latest voyage, joined by “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham, appears just as doomed, experts say.

James Kraska, a professor of maritime law, told Fox News that the flotilla has no realistic chance of success.

“The whole world knows that this is coming, and the IDF is going to maintain a security perimeter out in the water to protect the beaches of Gaza,” he explained. “There aren’t any port facilities in this area to unload anything, and Gaza lacks a port sufficient to receive such a large flotilla. There’s a small fishing port, but that’s inadequate.”

Kraska noted that even the U.S. failed to sustain a temporary port in Gaza, despite sinking nearly $200 million into the project, because of severe weather conditions.

Beyond the logistics, Israel’s legal right to enforce the blockade remains clear.

“Ultimately, there is authority for Israel to defend the blockade, but it’s not just the law — politics and practical realities are involved, as well,” Kraska said. “Israel, however, maintains that its maritime security operations, which look like a blockade, are a lawful measure of war and will act to prevent ships from docking.”

Despite the obvious impracticalities, Thunberg framed her journey as a humanitarian necessity.

“The story here is about Palestine,” she told CBS in Barcelona. “The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive.”

She further accused Israel of “continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from coming in.”

Such rhetoric has angered Israeli officials, particularly National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. According to Israel Hayom, Ben-Gvir has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to place activists like Thunberg in “terrorist-level” detention centers and even proposed converting flotilla vessels into “maritime police operations” platforms.

“Following several weeks … they’ll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt,” the paper reported.

For Thunberg, the optics of confrontation may be the real goal. But as past efforts have shown, no amount of celebrity activism will alter Israel’s determination to defend its citizens — on land or sea.