Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was intercepted by the Israeli military while on a humanitarian boat heading to Gaza. In response to a question regarding Thunberg, U.S. President Donald Trump commented that he recommends she take "anger management classes."

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Defense Forces intercepted the vessel named "Madleen" carrying Thunberg and other activists around 3 a.m. on the 9th. Israel stated that the crew ignored multiple warnings and refused to turn back, attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza. Trump characterized Thunberg as "a strange person, always angry," questioning whether her anger is genuine or performed. He noted, "I think she needs anger management classes, that’s my main suggestion."

When a reporter followed up asking if Thunberg had indeed been kidnapped by Israel as she claimed, Trump replied, "I think Israel has enough problems already, they don’t need to kidnap Greta Thunberg." The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the activists on the "Madleen" were taken to Ashdod port, where they were shown footage of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but were not forced to watch it. Passengers on board included Palestinian-European parliament member Rima Hassan and actor Liam Cunningham from Game of Thrones. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Israel has deemed the maritime blockade legitimate, as Hamas is considered a terrorist organization in active conflict with Israel. Jerusalem also argues that the blockade is necessary to prevent Iran from smuggling high-quality missiles to its proxies, such as the Houthis in Yemen.