First of Gaza Flotilla activists deported from Israel arrive in Istanbul

LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

THE FIRST OF the Gaza flotilla activists deported from Israel have just arrived in Istanbul. 

Two other flights from Israel chartered by Turkey’s foreign minister are also due to arrive there soon. 

Israel has released illegally detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla after widespread condemnation of a video showing the activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.

Speaking earlier on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, lawyer for detainees Suhad Bishara said the activists would travel to their home countries from Turkey.

The lawyer had said all Irish citizens detained by Israel have been released.

She said 12 are due to leave via Turkey today, including Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.

The remaining three Irish citizens “are being deported by a different route”.

The lawyer said the treatment of the detained activists had been “severe” and that three had been hospitalised before being released. 

“Many complained of humiliation, some complained of sexual harassment,” Bishara said. 

Israel subsequently confirmed that the activists had been deported this afternoon.

Taoiseach: Lot of anger across EU at Israel

The video of Israeli authorities’ treatment of flotilla protesters has “accelerated” the mood at EU level for action against Israel, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin said there was “a lot of anger” across the EU at the video of the Gaza aid flotilla protesters’ treatment, which he said had “shocked the world”.

The Fianna Fáil leader was speaking after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, after which he said Macron “shared my concerns with the behaviour of Israel”.

Martin added: “The behaviour of a government minister from Israel has been absolutely shocking, and has shocked the world.”

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Asked if the video had shifted the mood at EU level towards taking action against Israel, Martin said:

“I think it has accelerated the momentum, and I think it’s created a lot of anger, because a lot of what you would have witnessed yesterday was not co-ordinated – individual prime ministers came out themselves in respect of their own citizens and in the context of what they witnessed on that video, so there’s this clear change in mood.”

Martin also said he had received “positive feedback” from his correspondence to European Council president Antonio Costa, and the matter will be on the agenda for the next council meeting.

Asked about the government’s proposed ban on importing goods from Israel, he said he did not believe a ban on services from Israel was “implementable or viable” and said “the advice we have on that is fairly solid”.

“Also, legally, it’s not within our capacity to do it,” he added.

Medical checks for activists

Caoimhe Butterly, a human rights campaigner who sailed with the flotilla for five weeks on a support and observer vessel, said she expects that all 430 detainees will be on three different chartered flights to Turkey and are expected to arrive this evening.

“They’re expected to be supported by a series of medical and psychological checks on arrival and representatives from the various different governments and consular services will meet them at the airport.

“There’s an expectation that they most probably will be booked back on flights to their countries of origin tomorrow”.

Butterly said a legal team had had access to the detainees at Ashdod Port last night.

“The testimonies that they gathered spoke to a systematic use of physical and psychological violence and also references to sexual humiliation.

“There were three hospitalisations of people who were hit by rubber bullets in the interception and also reports of broken ribs – with other people who had not received medical attention at all out there”.

Butterly added that neither she nor the team had any direct contact with the Irish detainees. 

“We’re reliant on the feedback of the reports from the legal team, which again attests to physical violence being used, but it doesn’t specify which participants were affected by this yet”.

She continued, “What we do know is that there was use of both stress positions for prolonged periods of time, sleep deprivation and lack of access to water for long periods on the prison cargo ship”.

A video of the bound activists, which was shared by Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was published after Israel’s naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessels in international waters and brought the 430 activists to Israel.

The video in question was captioned “Welcome to Israel”, as the footage shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground with the Israeli national anthem playing in the background.

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It also shows Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag amongst the activists. Catriona Graham, one of at least 13 Irish activists that were detained by Israel, can be seen being pulled to the ground after saying “free Palestine” at the start of the video. 

Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee released a statement this morning on the issue. 

“I am continuing to monitor closely the situation concerning our citizens currently in Israeli custody. At present, our citizens are being held at Ktziot detention centre, having been transferred there overnight from the port of Ashdod”, she said.  

She continued, “While consular access has not yet been granted, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv remain on the ground and stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance and support as soon as access is permitted”. 

“We expect that, later today, our citizens will be deported to Türkiye, where they will be met by representatives from our Embassy in Türkiye to ensure continuity of support and assistance upon arrival”. 

Margaret Connolly’s husband Declan Bree told RTÉ’s News at One that he last spoke to his wife on Monday morning.

“She phoned me just to say that Israeli military vessels were proceeding towards her boat and other boats in the flotilla, and after a couple of minutes, the signal broke down,” the Sligo councillor said.

He said officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs had seen Connolly, but had not spoken to her. He said he is pleased that she and others are being released, but he is unsure of their condition.

“From the little information we’ve received, it would appear that again, as in the past, there was systematic violence against the detainees.

“We are told that quite a number of them were in severe pain, and some had to receive hospital treatment, having been assaulted and roughed up by the Israeli military.

“Certainly we would all be concerned about our loved ones, and we have no indication as to their condition.”

Bree said the government has continued to “stall on promised action”, referencing the Occupied Territories Bill and the US military’s use of Shannon Airport.

Occupied Territories Bill

Speaking to RTÉ, McEntee was asked about passing the Occupied Territories Bill, which she replied, “We gave a commitment very clearly in our programme for government that we would, and I’m saying here now that we will. I will bring forward and publish the occupied territories bill in the coming weeks.”

She acknowledged the significance of enacting this bill, “when you look at goods in particular over the last number of years, there been about 600,000 euros worth of goods traded with the illegal occupied territories. If you look at the preferential treatment through the EU Israel Association agreement – that is worth billions – so the impact that you have on the Israeli government and the possibility of changing their actions is far stronger when we act in unison”. 

However, she was questioned about the likelihood of this bill passing at the European Commission, which she replied, “I believe the tide has turned, [...] the countries that wouldn’t have even considered this a few months ago are now openly saying we need a vote on this, and I’m working now to bring this to a vote so we can have this act”. 

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