Senator Lindsey Graham sent social media users fuming after he slammed green energy activist Greta Thunberg for trying to enter Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The Swedish woman who grew to fame for her climate activism is inserting herself in the years-long conflict to try and break the Israeli naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.
She and her crew debarked from Sicily on Sunday aboard a sailboat named the Maldeen on the journey that could take several days.
She burst into tears while addressing reporters over the weekend, sharing: ‘We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying.’
Taking a swipe at the potentially dangerous escapade, Trump ally Senator Graham shared a tongue-in-cheek message for the voyagers.
‘Hope Greta and her friends can swim!’ Graham posted on X alongside a report about the 22-year-old activist’s latest stunt.
The flotilla includes aid workers, supplies, activists and documentarians hoping to break through Israeli defenses that have been patrolling the coast.
The journey is being supported by the nonprofit Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC), whose officials have admitted the aid will come in ‘limited amounts, though symbolic.’
Greta is part of the crew of the ship Madleen, headed to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid on June 01, 2025 in Catania, Italy. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is among those who will attempt to sail to Gaza on a boat organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), in a bid to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory
Freedom Flotilla had to abort a previous journey in early May after it said its boat came under attack by drones in international waters near Malta
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham joked on X that he hopes Greta and her friends can swim as they attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza in a sailboat
The Republican senator was immediately skewered for his comments and received backlash for his ‘threatening’ message.
‘A sitting United States Senator threatening a convoy full of nonviolent activists – including Greta Thunberg – with a bombing,’ former MSNBC host and journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote on X.
‘It’s difficult to describe how sociopathic, unhinged, and criminal some of the pro-Israel folks have become,’ he added.
Another user wrote: ‘Why is a 69-year-old U.S. senator joking about the drowning of a 22-year-old Swedish activist? Is this where American politics is now?’
The post received over 8,000 comments in response, many of them ridiculing the senator as a ‘disgrace.’
‘Why would a US senator be threatening a young climate activist?’ another user asked.
Israel has three naval patrol squadrons that have been deploying regularly to defend the Jewish nation’s coast and the shores of Gaza, each is equipped with a suite of advanced weaponry like 25mm and .50cal guns.
In May, the FCC previously attempted to break the Israeli blockade with another vessel, the Conscience, though that mission was scuttled after the ship was hit by drones and partially disabled off the coast of Malta.
The damaged Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel ‘Conscience’ is anchored at sea outside Maltese territorial waters, after it was bombed by drones while carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, May 3, 2025
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, center, waits to board the Madleen boat, before setting sail for Gaza along with activists of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departing from the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy, Sunday, June 1, 2025
Thunberg and her crew wore shirts that said ‘ship to Gaza’ before leaving Italy for the Gaza Strip
FCC claims that Israel was behind the drone attack, though the country has not responded to the allegations.
‘The moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,’ Thunberg said before departing.
‘And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.’
The FCC has said that the voyage ‘is a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel’s illegal siege and escalating war crimes.’
The voyage from the Italian island of Sicily to Gaza should take roughly a week if the boat is not intercepted, organizers estimate.
The Daily Mail has not received a response from the FCC to its request for comment.
