Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is facing backlash after a controversial Instagram post shared in collaboration with a pro-Palestinian activist featured an image of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, held by Hamas in Gaza.
The post, published Monday by Yasmin Aker — a participant in the “Sumud” flotilla to Gaza — was shared jointly with Thunberg through Instagram’s “Collaboration” feature, which posts the same content to both users' accounts. Thunberg, who has over 16 million followers, did not remove the post as of Tuesday.
3 View gallery
This image shows a slide from an Instagram post shared by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, highlighting the 'suffering of Palestinian prisoners' and including a photo of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, bottom right. The post sparked backlash in Israel for using the image, taken from a Hamas video released in July, depicting David in a deteriorated state while in captivity
The post described the "suffering of Palestinian prisoners" as “not a matter of opinion – it is a fact of cruelty and dehumanization,” adding, “Humanity cannot be selective. Justice cannot have borders.” Among the images included was a photo of 24-year-old Israeli hostage Evyatar David, appearing severely malnourished in what is believed to be a Hamas tunnel. The image was taken from a propaganda video released by Hamas in late July.
Evyatar’s sister, Yeela David, condemned Thunberg’s involvement in the post, saying, “you should make a research before you post things you don’t understand about. In the 6th slide you put a photo of an ISRAELI HOSTAGE who hamas starved on purpose. This is Evyatar David."
The video in question, released with the family's consent, shows David in a visibly deteriorated state, with protruding bones and a food log in which several days are marked with “no food” or “lentils.”
Thunberg was among more than 400 activists who participated in the Sumud Global Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli navy on Yom Kippur while attempting to breach the maritime blockade on Gaza. The stated aim was to deliver humanitarian aid and food. Participants were brought to Ashdod and later deported. Thunberg had also taken part in a similar flotilla aboard the Madleen in June, which was also stopped by Israeli forces.
On Monday, 161 flotilla participants, including Thunberg, arrived at Athens International Airport to a hero’s welcome. Supporters waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans, while Thunberg was greeted with flowers. She declined to comment directly on her time in Israeli custody, amid unverified claims she had been held under harsh conditions at Ketziot Prison — allegations Israeli authorities denied.
“I could talk for a very, very long time about the abuse during our imprisonment,” Thunberg said. “But that’s not the story here.”