{"id":421064,"date":"2026-04-28T04:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T04:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/421064\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T04:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T04:07:09","slug":"catherine-connollys-sister-joins-flotilla-bound-for-gaza-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/421064\/","title":{"rendered":"Catherine Connolly\u2019s sister joins flotilla bound for Gaza \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Catherine Connolly<\/a>\u2019s sister, Margaret Connolly, is to take part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sets sail for Gaza<\/a> from Sicily on Sunday. <\/p>\n

The flotilla has said its objective is \u201cbreaking the illegal blockade on Gaza<\/a> and establishing a people\u2019s sea corridor\u201d for food and medicines and other essential supplies, it said on social media.<\/p>\n

It also claims to have assembled the largest fleet dedicated to breaking the siege of Gaza, with more than 1,000 participants.<\/p>\n

Connolly, originally from Co Galway, is a GP and activist based in Co Sligo.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Sligo Champion before her departure, Connolly said: \u201cI have joined the flotilla because we cannot stand by while millions are subjected to forced starvation and an illegal siege.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flotilla is a powerful symbol of international solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who are enduring an ongoing genocide and an inhumane blockade now approaching its 18th year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The newspaper quotes her as saying Palestinians have called for a resolution to the conflict based on international law and ascertaining full rights for Palestinian citizens in Israel<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd today we all know that the vast majority of people in Ireland stand with the Palestinian people in their struggle for their legitimate rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of a free, independent and sovereign state of Palestine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur flotilla sails to deliver hope. We are sailing to Gaza to break the 18-year Israeli naval blockade, deliver urgent humanitarian aid, and demonstrate international solidarity with Palestinians facing famine and ongoing conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Emergency doctors call for urgent action to stop \u2018carnage\u2019 on State\u2019s roadsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Connolly explained that the meaning of Sumud was steadfastness, symbolising the resilience of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

Last year, a flotilla carrying aid attempted to reach Gaza<\/a> but was intercepted by the Israeli military. Fifteen Irish people were on board the vessels when they were intercepted, as was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg<\/a>. Hundreds of participants were detained in Israel before being deported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Catherine Connolly\u2019s sister, Margaret Connolly, is to take part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sets sail…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3656,3409,3406,61,60,3410,43,4268],"class_list":["post-421064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-catherine-connolly","tag-gaza-strip","tag-greta-thunberg","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-israel","tag-news","tag-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}