Israel has said it has deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody.
More than 430 activists from countries around the world, including Ireland, had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has said that 14 Irish citizens were deported, while one other Irish person "was on a different boat that was redirected" and is not part of the group brought to Ramon Airport in Israel's far south.
Among the Irish citizens on the flotilla was Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.
Israel's foreign ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, said that "all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel."
"Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza," he added.
The legal centre representing the flotilla members said earlier today that the majority were "en route for deportation" from Ramon Airport in Israel's far south.
Adalah said that the activists had been held at Israel's Ktziot prison, in the Negev Desert near Gaza.
I continue to monitor closely the situation concerning our citizens currently in Israeli custody. Our citizens are expected to be deported to Türkiye later today, where they will be met by representatives from our Embassy in Türkiye.
— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) May 21, 2026
Ms McEntee said it was important for the families of those detained to know that they were on their way to the airport, and "that they are safe".
Footage posted on X yesterday by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showed people kneeling on the ground in tightly packed groups with their hands tied behind their backs.
Speaking on RTE's Today with David McCullagh, Ms McEntee said she thought "anybody that saw the footage yesterday will know that the way in which every single one of those people, Irish citizens and others, who were handled and detained was completely unacceptable".
The footage also shows Mr Ben-Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists.
Ms McEntee described his actions "appalling".
"Thankfully it has been condemned on a global scale, not just by Ireland or by European countries," she said.
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Asked if any of the Irish citizens suffered mistreatment, the minister said that has not been brought to her department’s attention.
"As far as we are aware and the contact we have had ... is that there are no injuries of that kind," she said.
"We have engaged directly with the Israeli authorities, but my priority has to be that they get home safe and that is where the focus is."
Asked what advice she would give to people joining any future flotilla, Ms McEntee said: "I would have to advise people not to. That is Government advice.
"This is an extremely volatile environment, extremely volatile situation ... Irish people and people in general want to do something to stop what is happening.
"I would have to advise for all of the reasons we have discussed and seen in recent days, people not to take that action."
Dr Connolly's husband said that Irish consular staff at Ramon airport had seen her there.
"There had been no communication, they obviously weren’t in a position to talk to the Irish citizens there," Declan Bree said, adding that it appears his wife will be joining others on the flight to Turkey.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, he said that everyone with loved ones on the flotilla will be pleased that they are being released from captivity.
"We all witnessed the shocking and unacceptable behaviour of the Israeli military and their government minister from the video clip that was released yesterday."
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Mr Bree said they have no indication as to the condition of their loved ones until consular staff get the opportunity to speak to them.
He and his children are "immensely proud of Margaret", he said, adding that she has consistently fought injustice at home and abroad and "has been a passionate advocate for the Palestinian people for many years".
Mr Bree said he last spoke to his wife on Monday morning, when she phoned him to say that Israeli military vessels were proceeding towards their boat.
Watch: Itamar Ben-Gvir posted video taunting flotilla activists
"After a couple of minutes the signal broke down. I presume that the Israelis had jammed the communications ... there has been no communication since."
Flotilla activists subjected to violence - lawyer
A lawyer for the activists said that many of them, from a range of countries, were in severe pain after they said they were subjected to violence during their detention.
Suhad Bishara, who was speaking from the detention centre in Ashdod to RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh, said that she met hundreds of the activists yesterday.
"This was after a long night that they had at Ashdod Port, where they had to go through hearings before immigration officers and from there they moved to [a prison] in the south," she said.
"There was very systematic and patterned violence against participants.
"Many of them were in severe pain and we know of three at least were hospitalised last night and released later on."
Ms Bishara said there were many complaints of humiliation and some of sexual harassment.
This was the most severe treatment in the past 10 years in terms of violence, degradation and humiliation, she said.
Listen: Suhad Bishara gives update on Gaza aid flotilla activists
Last month, the Israeli government amended a law making deportation faster, Ms Bishara added.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was to raise Israel's treatment of EU citizens with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Paris.
Mr Martin wrote to European Council President Antonio Costa asking that he put the issue on the agenda of an upcoming EU summit.
Mr Martin said that leaders should consider the suspension of all or parts of the EU-Israel Association Agreement as a result of what he called the illegal detention of EU citizens by the Israeli Defence Forces in international waters.
