Greta Thunberg faces backlash over Israeli hostage image in post on Palestinians

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg faced backlash for using a photo of an emaciated Israeli hostage in her Instagram post, which allegedly showed the suffering of Palestinians.

The post read: “The suffering of Palestinian prisoners is not a matter of opinion; it is a reality of systemic cruelty and dehumanization. Humanity cannot be selective. Justice cannot have borders.” Also included were three photographs, including one of hostage Evyatar David, taken from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

The image of David was a still from a Hamas propaganda video. In the video, David looks extremely weak and says he hasn’t eaten in days as he describes conditions in captivity. The part of the video that shocked many was that David’s kidnappers forced him to dig his own grave.

GRETA THUNBERG’S PRISON COMPLAINTS ALLEGEDLY SAID ‘THE HUNDREDTH LIE’ BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Evyatar’s sister, Yeela David, commented on the post, saying Thunberg should have done research before posting “things you don’t understand.” He later added: “Every minute you don’t delete the post you become a bigger joke. Shameful.”

The post containing multiple images appears to have been later edited and the slide containing David’s image is no longer visible. But the comment section is full of users denouncing the “lies” displayed in the post, along with reminders that his image is there, too.

The slides were part of a collaborative post with Thunberg and Yasmin Acar, a board member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition; Gaza Sumud Flotilla and two other accounts.

Greta Thunberg faced backlash after using a photo of starving hostage Evyatar David in a post claiming to depict the plight of Palestinians. (@IsraelMFA/X)

ISRAEL claimed that GRETA THUNBERG’S flotilla, which wanted to break the blockade of GAZA, had ties with HAMAS, QUOTED DOCUMENTS

“The world is rightfully horrified by what the Sumud Flotilla hostages endured,” the first slide of the post read, referring to the detainees arrested when Israel shut down their fleet last week. “Their suffering is real and no human being should ever be subjected to such pain, fear or humiliation.” The article then goes on to compare this to the situation of Palestinians in Israeli prisons; activists claim that more than 11,000 Palestinian “hostages and prisoners” are being held in unhygienic and inhumane conditions.

The group also included a video from 2015 in its post, showing Ahmad Manasra, who was 13 years old at the time. Manasra was arrested in connection with a knife attack in Jerusalem in 2015 during the so-called “Knife Intifada”. Jerusalem Post.

Galia David, mother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, poses with a photo of her son at a press conference following a meeting with the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Red Cross headquarters in Geneva on August 12, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Ignorance blinded by hate is trending,” he said, posting a screenshot of the deleted slide alongside a zoomed-in version of David’s still image.

The ministry wrote on

Climate activist Greta Thunberg sits next to an Israeli soldier after naval forces intercepted a flotilla heading for Gaza. (Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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Thunberg, known for her climate activism while still in high school, has become a vocal critic of Israel since the war in Gaza began. It joined two aid flotillas heading to Gaza, both of which were intercepted by Israeli forces.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Thunberg for comment.