In a post on his X account, Esmail Baghai wrote that Israel’s actions reflect a deliberate effort to instill fear and suppress dissent amid the massacre in Gaza.
He cited Thunberg’s recent interview with a Swedish newspaper in which the young activist said she had suffered violence during protests.
“They grabbed me, pulled me to the ground and threw an Israeli flag over me,” Thunberg was quoted as saying.
Baghaei said the actions were aimed at “terrifying the courageous people who stand up for Palestinian justice and human dignity, and to intimidate the entire world into refraining from protesting the genocide and atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank.”
He also accused the regime of covert attempts to manipulate public opinion, claiming that “the regime is paying selected influencers $7,000 per post to hide its crimes.”
“The truth, written in innocent blood, cannot be hidden by bribes or blackmail,” he added.
Baggaei’s comments came amid global outrage over Israel’s violent interference with the Global Smud Frotra, a civilian convoy carrying international activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
During the Israeli attack on the convoy, several peace activists were injured and detained as the ship approached Gaza’s territorial waters.
The Global Sumud convoy, made up of ships from more than a dozen countries, was organized by international solidarity groups to counter Israel’s years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Organizers said the mission was completely peaceful and aimed to draw attention to what they called “the world’s longest and most brutal siege” imposed on civilians in Gaza.
The crackdown on the convoy reignited memories of Israel’s deadly attack on the Mavi Marmara in 2010, when special forces killed 10 activists in international waters and sparked global condemnation.
MNA/IRN