Irish citizens from the Global Sumud Flotilla who are being held by Israel after they were forcibly detained earlier this week are being deported to Turkey, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh, Helen McEntee said 14 Irish citizens are being deported, while one other Irish person "was on a different boat that was redirected" and is not part of the group which was brought to the airport in Ramon.
Among the Irish citizens on board the flotilla was Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President of Ireland Catherine Connolly.
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
Minister McEntee said it is "important for their families to know that they are on their way to the airport, 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.
The minister said that she thinks that "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.
Minister McEntee described his actions "appalling".
"Thankfully it has been condemned on a global scale, not just by Ireland or by European countries," she said.
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 this morning."
Asked what advice she would give to people joining any future flotilla, Minister McEntee: "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."
Flotilla activists subjected to violence - lawyer
Earlier, a lawyer for the activists said all of the people being held by Israel were en route to Ramon Airport to be deported to Turkey.
Speaking on the same programme, Suhad Bishara said many of the activists, from a range of countries, were in severe pain after they said they were subjected to violence during their detention.
Ms Bishara, who was speaking from the detention centre in Ashdod, said 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.
Suhad Bishara gives an update on the situation regarding the Gaza aid flotilla activists
"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," she said.
She also there were many complaints of humiliation and some of sexual harassment.
Ms Bishara said this was the most severe treatment in the past 10 years in terms of violence, degradation and humiliation.
Last month, the Israeli government amended a law making deportation faster, Ms Bishara added.
Turkey Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has that said three planes have been sent to Israel for the repatriations.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is 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 the upcoming EU summit.
Mr Martin said leaders should now 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.
The Taoiseach is due to visit the Élysée Palace during which he will raise the matter with Mr Macron, with the two leaders also set to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and EU security.
Watch: Itamar Ben-Gvir posted video taunting flotilla activists
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the "actions of the Israeli government towards illegally detained members of the Sumud Flotilla, including Irish and EU citizens, is disgusting and cannot be consequence free."
In a statement he described the forcible detention of the activists as a "further clear breach of international law".
He added: "Illegally detaining citizens in international waters and then degrading them. It is despicable.
Condemnation is important but not enough."
Mr Harris said he fully supports the work being done by the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and that he intends to raise it with fellow European People Party leaders.
"There must be a strong, unambiguous EU response and I reiterate the calls for the suspension of trade elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
"This has been our consistent position as a country. It is long past time for Europe to act," Mr Harris said.
