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SF senator among Irish on intercepted aid flotilla boats

A screenshot of a video posted by French MEP Rima Hassan shows an Israeli vessel approaching aid flotilla boats
A screenshot of a video posted by French MEP Rima Hassan shows an Israeli vessel approaching aid flotilla boats

At least eight Irish citizens were on board Global Sumud Flotilla vessels which have been intercepted and detained by the Israeli navy.

The latest to be detained were Catríona Graham, Louise Heaney, Tadgh Hickey, Sarah Clancy and Senator Chris Andrews.

Earlier detainees included Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais and Thomas McCune on the Sirius vessel, and Tara O'Grady on board the Alma vessel, according to the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Sinn Féin's Senator Andrews was on board the Spectre vessel which was boarded by Israeli military personnel, his party confirmed.

"The Global Sumud Flotilla was tonight illegally intercepted and seized by armed Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Egypt, less than 50 nautical miles from Gaza.

"The flotilla, including Senator Andrews' boat, the Spectre, was violently assaulted by Israeli military forces, with participants kidnapped by armed Israeli agents," Sinn Féin said in a statement.

Irish coordinators of the flotilla have said there was a total of 22 Irish citizens onboard boats carrying aid towards Gaza.

In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said the intervention by the Israeli Navy was an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians in international waters.

Military personnel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver medicine and food to Gaza and boarded its boats as it approached the war-ravaged enclave, the mission's organisers said.

Some 20 unidentified vessels were seen approaching the flotilla earlier tonight, multiple people on board said, as passengers put on life vests and braced for a takeover.

Photo shows flotilla crew members holding their hands up
A screengrab of a Global Sumud Flotilla livestream shows flotilla crew members onboard the Meteque holding their hands up as Israeli vessels approached

"Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board," organisers of the flotilla said in a post on X.

The international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza said early that Israeli navy forces were using "active aggression" on their fleet.

"Florida vessel has been deliberately rammed at sea. Yulara, Meteque and others have been targeted with water cannons," the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a post on Telegram.

All passengers on board are unharmed, the Global Sumud Flotilla said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of reports that the flotilla has been intercepted and is in direct contact with its Irish representatives.

"The safety of Irish citizens remains our priority," it said.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.

It is within 90 nautical miles of war-ravaged Gaza, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.

A live video feed from one of the boats in the flotilla showed passengers in life vests sitting on deck.

It is not clear if all the boats had been intercepted or stopped. Some passengers said their vessels continued to advance.

Organisers remained defiant.

"We will not be intimidated by threats, harassment, or efforts to protect Israel's illegal siege on Gaza," they said in an earlier statement.


Watch: French MEP posts video of vessels approaching flotilla


The Israeli foreign ministry earlier said its navy had reached out to the flotilla to warn it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked them to change course.

The ministry said that it reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.

Several activists posted videos on social media in which they said Israeli naval vessels were approaching the flotilla and ordering them to turn their engines off.

The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt and had entered what activists and others called a "danger zone" or "high risk zone".

Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews, who is on board an international flotilla, said earlier that 12 to 14 Israeli army vessels are approaching the boats.

In a subsequent post, Mr Andrews said: "Sumud Flotilla likely to be attacked and boarded by Israeli forces imminently.

"The Irish Government and the EU need to step in!"

A screengrab of a live stream of the flotilla bringing aid to Gaza
A screengrab of a livestream showing crews of aid flotilla vessels

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Israeli navy had warned the Gaza aid flotilla to change course.

Italy's foreign minister said that his Israeli counterpart had assured him the Israeli armed forces would not use violence against activists on board the flotilla of ships sailing towards Gaza.

The mission's organisers earlier said Israeli vessels approached some of its boats and engaged in "dangerous and intimidatory manoeuvres" earlier as it neared the Palestinian territory.

They said two Israeli "warships" had approached fast and encircled two of the flotilla's boats, Alma and Sirius. All navigation and communication devices went down in what one organiser on board, Thiago Ávila, described in a press conference as a "cyber-attack".

The flotilla appeared to have recovered some communications. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"These hostile actions placed unarmed civilians from over 40 countries in grave danger," the flotilla said in a statement.

BIZERTE, TUNISIA - SEPTEMBER 14: First vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Binzert Port, heading to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid in Bizerte, Tunisia, on September 14, 2025. (Photo by Mohamed Mdalla/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The flotilla is now within 120 nautical miles of Gaza's coast. (File Pic)

Past attempts to deliver aid

At a press conference held by organisers today, Francesca Albanese, the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, said any interception of the flotilla "would be yet another violation of international law, the law of the sea" since Israel had no legal jurisdiction on waters off Gaza.

Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.

In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.

In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Greta Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.

Israel must act 'within international law' over flotilla - Martin

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called on the Israeli government to "behave within international law" when it comes to the Gaza flotilla, but he suggested the flotilla should not progress any further.

Speaking in Copenhagen, Mr Martin said: "This is not a military operation. These people are peaceful, the people on the various boats. They're there to shine a light on the appalling deprivation in Gaza and the lack of humanitarian aid going into Gaza, it's a humanitarian mission."

However, he said the Government believed there were dangers involved in approaching Gaza by sea.

"We have said to people, to Irish citizens, that it's not an area for safe travel, and people shouldn't, in my view, progress further, and should do everything they can to protect themselves and to make sure they don't come in harm's way.

"But there's a huge responsibility also on the Israeli government to handle this with caution and sensitivity and acknowledge that this is a humanitarian mission, first and foremost."

Two incidents overnight

Irish activist Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, who is on board the Sirius, confirmed that there were two incidents last night, with one at around 2am when an "Israeli boat was nearby".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said they expected to be boarded, but the vessel just stayed nearby and then left.

A later incident was more serious, he said, when a submarine surfaced in front of the Sirius.

He added that a small gunboat also went through the flotilla, disrupting boats.

"They circled a few of the bigger boats stayed around for maybe half an hour, 40 minutes and then again they left the fleet and went on their merry way."

Mr Mac Dubhghlais said he was "99.9%" sure that the sightings related to the Israeli military.

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Asked what the members of the flotilla did when these incidents took place, he said they had conducted some training to handle interceptions and such scenarios.

"We all just gathered on deck, life jackets on - for the initial incident because we thought they were going to board and to put across that we are a peaceful humanitarian mission - even the kitchen knives were thrown overboard.

"So, there was no way they could say there was any weapons on board - anything that was sharp was dumped in the sea.

"We have good training done and we were calm enough there sitting on the deck."

Mr Mac Dubhghlais said he was "genuinely unsure" what Israel would do as the flotilla neared Gaza.


Read more: Israeli forces kill at least 46 people in Gaza


Additional reporting Paul Cunningham