Seven Irish among activists arrested as Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla
Seven Irish people have been arrested by Israeli forces after aid ships bound for Gaza were intercepted in international waters near Greece.Flotilla organisers have decried the move as an "escalation of Israel's impunity."Israel's Foreign Ministry said some 175 activists were arrested after 20 ships were intercepted.The vessels are part of a second flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, which sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12 in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade.It is understood that the sister of President Catherine Connolly, Margaret Connolly, as well as a number of Irish citizens, is on board one of the vessels in the flotilla.In a message posted in the early hours of Thursday morning, Dr Connolly said that while surrounding boats are being intercepted, the vessel she is on is "still escaping interception and is en route to Crete."The vessels were seized by Israel hundreds of miles from Gaza, according to the organisers, Global Sumud Flotilla."This is piracy," the group said in a statement. "This is the unlawful seizure of human beings on the open sea near Crete, an assertion that Israel can operate with total impunity, far beyond its own borders, with no consequences."No state had the right to claim, police, or occupy international waters, but Israel had done that, extending its control outward to the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Europe, it added.Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said the flotilla "was stopped before reaching our area".In a posting on X, he added, "Our brave IDF soldiers are acting with professionalism and determination, dealing with a group of delusional attention-seeking agitators," referring to the Israeli military.Israel's military halted a previous flotilla assembled by the same organisation last October in an attempt to reach blockaded Gaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants, including Cork's Tadhg Hickey and other Irish activists.Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its residents, numbering more than two million.However, Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in October that included guarantees of increased aid.
