British and Irish activists who were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla seized and deported by Israel returned to London and Dublin on Saturday, following global condemnation over their treatment.
Among the Irish activists who arrived at Dublin Airport via Turkey was Margaret Connolly, sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
She recounted being held with the other detained activists in “containers”, where she said several people risked hypothermia.
Several supporters sporting keffiyeh scarves and Palestinian flags turned out to welcome the Irish activists, who described being “abused” and “tortured” in detention.
“We were split in groups and the next couple of days were some of the most horrific times I’ve ever experienced,” said activist Tom Deasy.
Seven UK-based activists also landed at London’s Stansted Aiport on Saturday, many still wearing Israeli prison tracksuits. They alleged that Israeli forces had shot rubber bullets at them when intercepting the convoy of vessels earlier this week.
“There was a woman in my prison cell who had a big hole in her leg as a result of one of those shootings,” said Hannah Schafer, a 62-year-old from Wales.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation and a diplomatic backlash Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Elliot Roberts, 34, who captained one of the boats, said he recalled Gvir entering the tent where they were held, alleging the guards were “playing Israeli music to hide the screams” of the detainees.
The UK said it had summoned Israel’s most senior diplomat in Britain earlier this week following “the inflammatory video”.
A leaked letter revealed Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin urging the EU chief for “further action” against Israel over their treatment, including a ban on goods from Israeli settlements and the suspension “of parts if not all” of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel.
Since the start of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
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