Swedish climate celebrity Greta Thunberg has once again found herself at the center of an international spectacle — this time after joining a publicity-seeking “Freedom Flotilla” that was intercepted by Israeli naval forces en route to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The ship, carrying a handful of activists and a laughably small cache of “aid,” never made it to its intended destination. Instead, it was stopped in waters off the Gaza coast under Israel’s long-standing and legally recognized naval blockade. Despite activists' claims of “assault” and “kidnapping,” Israeli authorities calmly de-escalated the situation and transported the group to safety.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces,” Thunberg claimed in a pre-recorded video released after the interception — a video that critics quickly dismissed as melodramatic agitprop.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry was less than impressed by the stunt, referring to the ship as a “selfie yacht” and the operation as “Much Ado About Nothing.” They took to X (formerly Twitter) to expose the PR-driven nature of the voyage, calling it what it was: a glorified photo op masquerading as humanitarian aid.

“The yacht is claiming that it is delivering humanitarian aid. In fact, it is a media gimmick for publicity (which includes less than a single truckload of aid),” the ministry said. “A ‘selfie yacht.’”

The ministry further emphasized that actual aid was being delivered via legitimate and effective channels — not Instagram-friendly theatrics:

“Over the past two weeks, more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition — which sponsored the voyage — leaned into the panic narrative, accusing Israel of surrounding the vessel with drones, jamming communications, and deploying “white paint-like substances.” The group’s claims, laced with conspiracy and hysteria, were met with skepticism across social media.

After Israeli forces boarded the vessel and safely removed all passengers, the Foreign Ministry posted a succinct message:

“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”

A separate update confirmed that Thunberg herself was being treated humanely and was “safe and in good spirits.”

The Foreign Ministry didn’t stop there. They reminded the world what real aid looks like — and what irresponsible provocation looks like, too:

“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel… The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”

For Israel, the message couldn’t be clearer: virtue-signaling activists playing hero in Hamas waters are not helping the Palestinian people — they’re endangering lives and distracting from real solutions.