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Irish activists, who were expelled by Israel after attempting to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, have vowed to organise a new flotilla, despite detailing allegations of harsh and inhumane treatment while they were held in Israeli custody.
The group, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, returned to Dublin on Friday, where they were greeted at the airport by cheers, chants of solidarity, and emotional embraces from around 100 supporters and relatives.
“There’s another flotilla underway now, and we’ll be going back on another,” activist Paddy O’Donovan told reporters at Dublin Airport, expressing his determination to continue challenging Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
The activists were among hundreds intercepted last week by Israeli authorities, who said more than 470 people aboard the flotilla’s vessels had been arrested.
The flotilla, aimed at breaking the naval blockade and delivering humanitarian supplies to Gaza, has been criticised by Israel, which labelled it an offshoot of Hamas, the militant group that controls the territory.
Comedian and activist Tadhg Hickey described the group’s time in Israeli detention as degrading and inhumane, alleging that detainees were denied clean drinking water, medical access, and proper sleeping arrangements.
“To come face-to-face with the level of sadism and inhumanity they display was really quite shocking to me,” he said, accusing Israeli authorities of using false associations with Hamas to justify their treatment of the activists.
“You can see the people who came out today—do they look like bloodthirsty militants to you?” Hickey remarked, rejecting Israel’s claims and pledging to continue his activism. “I’m happy to spend the rest of my life trying to bring this apartheid state down,” he added, vowing that future flotillas would be “relentless.”
Israel has denied accusations of apartheid or mistreatment of detainees, maintaining that it acts to prevent weapons and support from reaching Hamas.
O’Donovan, meanwhile, recalled his fear that he might not make it home, citing what he described as poor prison conditions. “We were drinking dirty water from one bathroom in an eight-man cell, with about 15 to 20 people in each cell,” he said.
“Some people were without mattresses, and we had to share those on the floor. They stripped us naked when we got there.”
Ireland’s government confirmed earlier this week that 16 of its citizens detained by Israel had been released and were returning home.
