The latest Freedom Flotilla headed for Gaza has been intercepted in international waters by Israeli Defense Forces as part of a continued attempt to block the delivery of food and medical supplies to the decimated Palestinian territory.
All 9 vessels were intercepted according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s online tracker, as of October 8th. Among those detained by Israeli forces were five Irish citizens, confirmed by Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris.
Aboard the Milad, one of the flotilla Boats, were novelist Naoise Dolan and Dublin North Bay TD Barry Henegan. The other 3 Irish detained, aboard the Conscience, were Mutaz Jadaan, a Galway-based orthopaedic surgeon, YouTuber Fionn MacArthur, and Trinity professor Veronica O’Keane. O’Keane is a retired psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at TCD.
In a video posted by “Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine” on October 7th, O’Keane stated that she was “part of a second wave flotilla which is going to Gaza” with her vessel “dedicated to media and medics” who have been “deliberately targeted in the genocide in Gaza.”
“We are determined to go the full way”, O’Keane said. “We want to show the Israelis and the IDF that we can break through the siege”, she continued.
The Trinity professor urged everyone in Ireland to petition for their free passage and for the end of the genocide in Gaza. As of the current moment, both calls to action were clearly unsuccessful, with O’Keane and other detainees likely heading to a detention facility south of Tel Aviv in the port of Ashdod, per the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Just days before, the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted on October 2nd, with 450 detainees, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and at least 14 Irish civilians, as per previous reporting from The University Times. Total detainees from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza are estimated at at least 145 activists, including the 5 Irish nationals. Both fleets were seized 70-120 nautical miles from Gaza’s coast.
UN bodies–the International Court of Justice, the Human Rights Council, and the General Assembly–have reached consensus that the Israeli blockade of aid to Gaza blatantly disregards International Humanitarian Law. The International Committee of the Red Cross agreed that depriving Gazans of essentials–food, water, medicine, and fuel–is a clear violation of humanitarian law. Turkish officials compared the interception to piracy.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the detainment, stating, “Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing.” The statement from the Ministry added that passengers are expected to be deported promptly.
