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Social media has been flooded with messages of solidarity for Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg after reports emerged of her being assaulted by Israeli forces who intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last week.

Accounts from those on board describe a harrowing ordeal. Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino told Anadolu he and fellow passengers were kidnapped and subjected to “humiliating” conditions by the Israeli forces. He specifically cited the treatment of Thunberg. “Greta Thunberg, a brave woman, is only 22 years old. She was humiliated and wrapped in an Israeli flag and exhibited like a trophy,” he said.

Turkish activist Ersin Çelik told the outlet, “They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag.“

Thunberg herself told Swedish officials she was subjected to harsh treatment in Israeli custody. As per an email by the Swedish foreign ministry seen by The Guardian, an official who visited the activist in prison said, “She informed of dehydration… received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes, which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”

These claims have sparked a wave of anger and heartbreak online, as users denounced the brutality and questioned the silence of those who once celebrated Thunberg’s activism.

Many called out world leaders who were quick to meet and take pictures with the climate activist when she rose to fame, only to now go silent as reports of her being assaulted in Israeli captivity surface.

Several others rightfully called Thunberg a hero — possibly the only one we have.

A user noted that what Thunberg was doing for Gaza puts a spotlight on all the climate scientists who remain silent as genocide and environmental degradation unfold side by side.

One user asked, “Where is Obama?” accusing the former US president of “exploiting Thunberg’s image to build his neoliberal foundation”.

Many users declared that they stand with Thunberg, and that she and her colleagues “deserve solidarity and our collective outrage over the treatment being meted out to them. But then we have seen the silence of the democratic world as dead babies flood our timeline.”

In the same vein, another user pointed out that if this was how the Israeli forces had treated Thunberg, a well-known figure, “imagine what they do to Palestinians about whom no one knows anything”.

“A brave young woman was tortured by Israeli soldiers because she tried to break a horrific siege of starving children,” one more added.

One user summed it up for those still hating on Thunberg: “Not a single Greta hater could do what she has done.”

Others pointed out the contrast between the world’s performative empathy and its current inaction.

“Greta Thunberg is a hero. She could have made a very comfortable life making Macronic and Obamic platitudes, sharing the stage with the likes of Ursula von der Leyen,” a user noted, “but she went the opposite, difficult path, speaking truth to power and showing up the liberal establishment for what it is.”

According to reports by AFP, Thunberg was among more than 70 activists of various nationalities released from Israeli detention on Sunday. They were aboard a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza when it was intercepted. Most are expected to fly to Greece before returning to their home countries.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed that former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan was also among those illegally detained by Israel; however, he is not listed among the detainees released on Sunday. The FO has said it is actively engaged with international partners to ensure the “safety and prompt repatriation of its citizens”.