WHAT WAS CLAIMED
North Korea threatened to nuke Israel if it killed Greta Thunberg.
OUR VERDICT
False. The claim is satire.
AAP FACTCHECK - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not threaten to nuke Israel after it detained Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, despite claims on social media.
There are no credible reports of such a threat and the earliest version of the claim is from a social media user who said it was satire.
Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist, has returned to Sweden after she was detained by Israeli forces along with 478 people who were part of a flotilla attempting to reach Gaza.
The claim appears in a Facebook post featuring a large image of Thunberg with a profile picture of the North Korean leader overlaid in the bottom right corner.
"BREAKING NEWS: Kim Jong Un Threatens to Nuke Tel Aviv If Israel Kills Greta Thunberg," the post reads.
"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned of a nuclear strike on Tel Aviv if Israel targets Greta Thunberg during her Gaza solidarity voyage.
"According to the Brics News, this stark threat highlights unexpected alliances amid the flotilla's aid mission. Is this defiant support or dangerous escalation?"
The post includes a link to a Threads post with the same caption and an image of Thunberg.
The earliest version of the claim was in an X post on September 24, 2025.
The account that made the post later stated it was satirical in an X reply.
"This obviously satire about how the western MSM lies about North Korea and makes up insane stories you idiots," it said.
AAP FactCheck found no credible reports that Kim or North Korea had made any threat toward Israel over the incident.
Thunberg was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of vessels that tried to reach Gaza to bring aid supplies and draw attention to the plight of the enclave.
The UN reports that more than 1.1 million residents have been displaced in Gaza since March and declared a famine in the territory.
Israel, which claims reports of hunger are exaggerated, has dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt benefiting the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
It had previously detained Thunberg at sea before deporting her following a similar attempt to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza in June.
The Verdict
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