All seven Irish citizens detained by Israeli authorities released in Crete on Friday morningSeven people were part of a 175-boat Gaza-bound flotilla which was intercepted in international waters by Israeli authorities on Wednesday nightPresident Catherine Connolly’s sister, Margaret, is understood to be still on her boat off the coast of the Greek island of Crete
The Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed on Friday morning that all participants except two were released in Crete, including all Irish citizens.
In a statement on social media, they said: “Saif and Thiago have been taken hostage by the IOF after the remaining captive participants were released in Crete.”
“We demand the immediate release. We call on global governments to pressure the Israeli regime to release our comrades now,” they said in a post on X.
“We demand that all governments do all they can to pressure the Israeli regime to release all the illegal abductees,” they added.
Robert Murphy, Martin Guilfoyle, Fiach Ó Brolcháin, Colm Byrne, Catríona Graham, Michael Fix and John Connellan were announced by Éire Global Sumud as the Irish people who were captured.
Catríona Graham, Colm Peter Byrne, Fiacc Ó Brolcháin, Martin Guilfoyle and Robert Murphy, from top, left to right
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, had condemned the seizure of the Gaza flotilla off the coast of Greece.
The seven Irish citizens, who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, were being held after the Israeli military intercepted some of its boats in international waters on Wednesday night.
In a statement earlier on Friday morning, Minister McEntee said: “I condemn the seizure of vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off the coast of Greece.”
“I call on the Israeli authorities to immediately release all Irish citizens detained during this operation, to uphold their obligations under international law, and to guarantee the safety and welfare of all those on board,” she wrote in a post on X.
Ms McEntee confirmed the Department of Foreign Affairs will provide consular assistance to any Irish citizens arriving in Greece.
“Officials from my Department, including staff at our Embassy in Athens, have been engaging with the relevant authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance to any Irish citizens arriving in Greece as a result of these developments,” she said.
“My clear priority is the safety and wellbeing of all Irish citizens involved,” she added.
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The wife of one of the Irish activists captured spoke of her shock that the Israeli Defence Forces raided the vessels.
Mr Ó Brolcháin’s wife, Rachel McNicholl, said he is a very experienced seafarer who trained crews and volunteered to skipper the first leg of the route.
“The plan was always that he would come home from Greece,” Ms McNicholl told the Irish Independent on Thursday.
“He’s 74 and he didn’t really think it would be a good idea to end up in an Israeli jail.”
She said she was very worried for her husband’s welfare but also “shocked” Israel forces came so far north.
The boats were about 45 nautical miles west of Crete and around 800 nautical miles from Israel, she said.
“They’re nowhere near Israel, and yet, the Israeli military went in with drones and then started boarding boats, wrecking navigation systems, and some people have just disappeared.
Ms McNicholl said she believed this was the first time Israel had gone so far into European waters.
“They knew it was a risky kind of operation,” she said.
“But as far as I was concerned, as far as he was concerned, there would be very little risk between Sicily and Greece.
“They’re nowhere near Israel. They’re nowhere near Gaza.
“And I hope that the Israeli government doesn’t get away with this.”
She said the Department of Foreign Affairs had been in touch and were working where the Irish citizens are.
Connolly
President Catherine Connolly’s sister, Dr Margaret Connolly, is understood to be still on her boat with other activists off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.
Under Article 87 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, international waters – formally referred to as the “high seas” – are open for freedom of navigation, over which Israel has no jurisdiction.
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An aid boat during its capture by Israel Defence Forces (IDF)
Louise McCormack from Moate, Co Westmeath, who is on the same vessel as Dr Connolly, managed to evade capture by Israeli military when interceptions began.
“The boats around us were intercepted, but there were too many of us for the Israelis to catch. So it was kind of a cat and mouse situation,” she said.
Israeli forces reportedly chased down boats within the flotilla over a period of eight hours.
Another source who witnessed the incident told the Irish Independent that around 10 soldiers held various activists “at gunpoint”.
Ms McCormack continued: “A boat that was probably 10 metres from us was approached by two Ribs [rigid inflatable boats]. One of them went up beside it, and then a second one came in and rammed it, and they rammed it until they both pulled out a flare. That alerted everyone really quickly to something.”
Louise McCormack
After her boat sped up to evade Israeli detection and capture throughout the night, it was approached by another boat about 20 nautical miles outside of Greek waters.
“A boat approached us at high speed, and we did our protocol. We put our life jackets on, announced over the radio that we were a peaceful humanitarian mission, and they said that they were the Greek Coast Guard responding to an SOS from a sailboat of one of our fellow ships,” Ms McCormack said.
Catríona Graham, Colm Peter Byrne, Fiacc Ó Brolcháin, Martin Guilfoyle and Robert Murphy, from top, left to right
Israeli military raids flotilla which includes President Connolly’s sister
“We told them what happened, and they went off then to go and find that that boat.”
Ms McCormack urged the Irish Government to act, and decried Israel’s apparent ability to “act with impunity”.
“Our Government will not hold Israel to account for breaching international law. What they do to the Palestinians, everyone seems to be able to accept. When they do breach international law to European citizens, people are more outraged,” she said.
She added: “I wish that people would be outraged by the tens of thousands of children that have been slaughtered.”
Israel’s foreign ministry published a photo on social media of what it claimed were “condoms and drugs” found on board the intercepted vessels. It showed what appeared to be a small see-through bag containing white powder.
The flotilla organisers did not immediately respond to the accusation. However, online supporters accused Israel accused of spreading disinformation.
The flotilla had been expected to reach Gaza this weekend but the IDF has demanded that the vessels turn back or sail to the Israeli port of Ashdod to deliver their humanitarian aid.
Hundreds of activists, including Greta Thunberg, were detained when 40 to 50 vessels approached Gaza last autumn. A flotilla in spring last year was disrupted by Israel.