An Irish activist, who was one of hundreds of flotilla protesters detained by Israeli authorities this week, has described where they were held as a "horror of a concentration camp".
Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, was among 14 Irish citizens and 430 activists placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday.
They were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory and deliver aid to Gazans.
On Wednesday, footage of Israeli authorities' treatment of flotilla protesters circulated online. It showed some people kneeling on the ground in tightly packed groups with their hands tied behind their backs.
The video and the detention of the flotilla participants has been condemned by senior Irish Government figures and across the European Union.
The activists arrived in Turkey yesterday evening after they were deported from Israel. The Irish activists are expected to return home tomorrow.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Dr Connolly said that she and the other activists were "kidnapped and abducted" and "held against our will on a warship".
"My colleagues experienced 35 fractures, five head injuries," she said.
"There was 15 sexual assaults, eye injuries, ear injuries. A huge number of laser injuries. People experienced broken feet. There was bullets shot at people's feet."
Dr Connolly, who works as a GP in Sligo, said that a large number of people have injured backs and shoulders following their detention.
"We were all bent down like hogs and kept in this position for hours," she said.
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She said that many of the activists who were detained had fractures and "screamed and howled in pain all night long". She said that there was no pain relief or kits to attend the injuries with.
"I want to tell you, what I saw ... people in agony, people freezing and cold with hypothermia, no clothes, drenched clothes," Dr Connolly said.
She added that when they asked for water, they were refused. For food, she said that "disgusting" bread rolls were thrown at them.
Dr Connolly said that the activists were not given toilet paper or medicines and women were denied sanitary towels.
"They laughed at us and they thought you should have 'feffin' thought about this before you came here," she said.
She said that guards pointed guns at the activists and stared down at them "like we were filth".
"We were not allowed to look up. We stared at the ground the whole time. They kicked you if you looked up.
"We were not human to them."
She added: "I want to just say, if they do this to Europeans in international waters, how dare they."
Dr Connolly also criticised a Dáil vote against legislation earlier this week, which sought to impose sanctions against Israel.
"How dare the Irish Government allow this to happen," she said.
"How dare they vote no to sanctions? It is utterly barbaric."
Flotilla member describes 'sheer brutality' when detained
An Irish man who was on the flotilla Global Sumud Flotilla, said there is a sense of relief for those who were onboard but also a "realisation of what has happened".
Tom Deasy said the entire Irish contingent from the flotilla will be travelling home to Ireland together and hope to return sometime tomorrow afternoon.
He said the entire time was hectic and non-stop and that today was the first day they have been able to process events, which he described as "scary".
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Deasy said: "Trying to put it into words is probably impossible. We knew there were risks going into it. We knew we would likely face the IOF but the sheer brutality that we witnessed was something that I never thought in my life that I, or anyone I knew, would be put into that position."
Mr Deasy said the Israeli Defence Force showed "aggression" from the moment they intercepted the vessels. He said his boat was the first to be intercepted on Monday.
"I got to the [prison] ship. I got a rifle bashed into my back and that was the first realisation of just how brutal these were. But it only escalated from that point on.
"The sheer violence and aggression used on people for no reason was indescribable," he said, adding that he has a black eye and was punched in the head.
He recalled how the Israelis stripped them of their clothes, exposed them to the cold and after confirming their passport and nationality, took them into a container.
Mr Deasy claimed this is "where the beatings happened", adding that "that is where pretty much everyone on the ship got beaten".
He said the hardest part was listening to all of the beatings.
"It echoed throughout the yard," he said. Mr Deasy claimed that only 10 people said they were not beaten.
Many of the flotilla participants are still dealing with the trauma, he said.
He described getting to fly home to their families as "very reassuring".
"The fact that we came here, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the 9,500 Palestinians that are held in captivity that go through that every single day just for being Palestinian. The fact that we knew, there probably will be a hope that we will get out and be released … they have no hope," he said.
"And now they are facing a death sentence. We feel relief for ourselves, but guilt that those people see no end in sight."
Mr Deasy said medical statements of their injuries and any crimes witnessed, including torture treatments were submitted to Turkish people so it is documented in a formal complaint.
"People have to be held accountable, not just for the treatment of us … just because we are westerners. The fact it took to get to this level. That is the most horrific part of it for us," he said.
He said one of the first things he asked was about the vote on sanctions on Israel on Wednesday this week.
"To know that the Irish Government voted not to put sanctions on the Israeli regime, while we were getting tortured in a prison ship, in the Mediterranean Sea, for multiple days … that is just unacceptable for us," he said.
He described it as a failure of all governments, "especially the Irish Government".
"That was the worst news I could have stepped off that plane [to hear]," he said.
Mr Deasy also said the Occupied Territories Bill is a "watered down version of what it originally used to be", adding that it will not make a difference.
