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

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is facing backlash after using an image of an emaciated Israeli hostage in an Instagram post showing Palestinians suffering.

The message read: “The suffering of Palestinian prisoners is not a matter of opinion – it is a fact of systemic cruelty and dehumanization. Humanity cannot be selective. Justice cannot have boundaries.” It also included three images, including the hostage Evyatar David, which was taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023.

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

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Swedish activist Greta Thunberg prepares to depart with other activists of Flotilla Global Sumud, a humanitarian expedition to Gaza, at the port of Barcelona, ​​Spain on August 31, 2025. (Eva Manez/Reuters)

Yeela David, Evyatar’s sister, commented on the post saying Thunberg needed to do research before posting “things you don’t understand.” She then added that: “Every minute you don’t delete the post you become a bigger joke. Embarrassing.”

The post, which contained several images, appears to have since been edited and the slide with David’s image is no longer visible. The comments section, however, is full of reminders that his image was there with users calling out the “lies” presented in the post.

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

Greta Thunberg is facing backlash after using a photo of starving hostage Evyatar David in a post claiming to represent the plight of Palestinians. (@Israelmfa/x)

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The first slide of the article read: “The world is rightly horrified by what the hostages of the Sumud flotilla are enduring,” referring to the detainees arrested when Israel intercepted its fleet last week. “Their suffering is real and no human being should ever be subjected to such pain, fear or humiliation.” The post then compares this to the plight of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, with activists claiming that more than 11,000 Palestinian “hostages and prisoners” were being held in unhygienic and inhumane conditions.

The group also included a 2015 video in its post showing Ahmad Manasra, who was 13 at the time. Manasra was arrested in 2015 in connection with a stabbing The Jerusalem post.

Galia David, mother of Israeli hostages Evyatar David poses, holding an image of her son during a press conference after a meeting with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, August 12, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)

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

“Greta Thunberg posted ‘Palestinian prisoners’ using the image of Israeli hostages Evyatar David – starved, abused and forced by Palestinian Hamas to dig his own grave,” the ministry wrote on X.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands next to an Israeli soldier after naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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Thunberg, who became renowned for her climate activism while still in high school, has become a vocal critic of Israel since the start of the Gaza war. She participated in two Gaza-related aid flotillas, both of which were intercepted by Israeli forces.

Fox News Digital has contacted Thunberg for comment.