Protests to be held in Ireland after Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla and detains Irish citizens

Almost all boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) have been intercepted and the activists on board, including at least 11 Irish citizens, detained by Israeli forces.

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced emergency protests to be held across Ireland today in solidarity with the GSF, including one at 12:30 p.m. at the Dáil in Dublin.

The GSF posted pre-recorded "SOS" videos from almost all detained members of the flotilla on their website, in which they urge those watching to demand their governments take action against Israel and to bring them home.

Among the Irish activists on intercepted vessels are Cork comedian Tadhg Hickey, Clare poet Sarah Clancy and Sinn Féin senator Christopher Andrews.

"If you're watching this video, I have been kidnapped by the IDF in international waters, which is completely illegal, and taken to Israel against my will," said Hickey in his SOS video.

"Please put pressure on the Irish government to end its complicity in the genocide in Gaza and to get me home."

Andrews emphasised the GSF "was nonviolent and abiding by international law" in his video.

Catríona Graham, Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, Cormac O'Daly, Thomas McCune, Tara O'Grady, Mary Almai, Patrick Kelly, Colm Peter Byrne, Louise Heaney, Patrick O'Donovan, Tara Rose Sheehy and Donna Marie Schwarz were also on board the intercepted boats.

Patrick Kelly and Patrick O'Donovan are listed as being on board the Fair Lady, which organisers say is not yet intercepted but likely to be soon. At around 11:00 a.m. this morning, a livestream from the Fair Lady (the only GSF boat livestream still available) says the vessel is experiencing engine problems.

Organisers say there were a total of 22 Irish citizens on board the fleet. At the time of writing, the remaining seven are unaccounted for.

In the early hours of October 1, some GSF boats were reportedly "aggressively circled" by an Israeli warship as they neared Gaza— including those with Irish activists on board.

The GSF website included a live tracking page for the fleet as well as a livestream of CCTV from some vessels as they approach Gaza, which corroborated these reports.

Israeli warships reportedly continued shadowing the convoy throughout the day, jamming communications and conducting dangerously close manoeuvres in what GSF organisers allege to be intimidation tactics. There were also reports of surveillance drone deployment.

At around 7:25 p.m. local time, Novara journalist Charlotte England (who was continually in direct communication with organisers and activists on board during the mission) reported a potential blockade by Israeli forces close to the fleet.

"Organisers on board are reporting a 'huge concentration of vessels' seven to 20 miles away," England said.

"This matches the 'stated plans from the Israeli foreign ministry' and is assumed to be a blockade."

Around the same time, an activist aboard the Wahoo boat spoke directly to livestream cameras, saying, "There is an unidentified ship on the horizon."

At about 7:35 p.m. local time, England shared a statement from Tiago Ávila, Brazilian activist and GSF organiser, directed to the crew.

"We are arriving at a decisive moment of our mission," Ávila said.

"Right now we are moving closer to what seems to be their military blockade. From seven to twenty miles from here, there is a huge concentration of vessels and it matches the stated plans from the Israeli foreign ministry and the media consensus about what would happen tonight and their stated plan of intercepting illegally our mission to break the siege and to create a humanitarian corridor."

At the same time, Political economist and fellow Novaro journalist Kieran Andrieu (aboard the Adara boat) posted on X, "We are preparing for interception in the next hour or so."

Soon later, the livestream showed ongoing radio communications between crews and eventually with the Israeli Navy, who instructed the fleet to change their course.

"Any further attempt to sail towards Gaza endangers your safety and places you within an active war zone," said an Israeli Navy representative over the radio to the flotilla, recorded in videos posted by the IDF, GSF activists on board and news outlets.

"If you continue on your route and attempt to breach the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel and act to confiscate it through legal proceedings in court."

 

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According to onboard reports, organisers declared a state of emergency on the fleet at 8:11 p.m..

The livestream showed passengers gathering on deck in each boat, including those on board the Alma sitting in a circle and awaiting interception.

The GSF later released a statement reading, "On Wednesday…at around 8:30 pm [local time], multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notably Alma, Sirius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters."

The Alma and Sirius CCTV livestreams were cut off.

Aboard the Adara, Andrieu livestreamed the sequence of events leading up to the vessel being boarded on Instagram.

The livestream showed an Israeli boat shining a bright beam of light at the Adara — Andrieu told the camera he believed it was meant to blind and confuse the activists on board — while shouting.

Kieran Andrieu's Instagram livestream from the GSF's Adara boat, showing a bright light shined from an Israeli vessel shortly before Israeli forces boarded at around 9:41 p.m. local time on October 1. Photo: Kieran Andrieu/@ran.andrieu on Instagram.

Sone comments in the livestream asked if Andrieu would continue recording when the soldiers boarded. He explained that the activists planned to throw their phones into the ocean so Israeli forces could not "unravel our data" and see "correspondences with our fellow journalists, organisers and families."

While describing the Israeli boat as incredibly large compared to their own and explaining that it was rapidly circling them, a voice was heard yelling at the passengers to put their hands up.

Andrieu was heard asking a fellow passenger, "what are we doing?" and when told they were preparing to be boarded, he told his fellow passengers, "Put your hands up please...every last person."

Another activist was heard yelling, "Phones in the water, now!" Andrieu told the camera, "My phone is going into the water. Phones are going into the water. Okay, now." before the livestream was cut off at around 10:00 p.m. local time, presumably when he threw his phone into the ocean.

The livestreams from various vessels gradually went offline, and many vessels were unaccounted for

At 10:40 p.m. local time, England posted that Hickey's boat, the Meteque (it is unclear if Hickey was previously on the Alma), was still on its way to Gaza. England reported Israeli forces told the boat "if you stop the engine, we stop the water" but said the Meteque was not stopping.

In a statement released today just before noon, the GSF said it had lost contact with the Meteque along with 17 other vessels, which it assumes to have been intercepted.

At around 2:10 p.m. local time, footage was posted showing the ships being brought into Israel's port of Ashdod. According to England, "Some appear to be sailing in proudly with their Palestine flags still flying."

Flotilla boats are being brought into the port of Ashdod now. Some appear to be sailing in proudly with their Palestine flags still flying. pic.twitter.com/KEFGCsirz8

— Charlotte England (@CharlottEngland) October 2, 2025

Israel's state broadcaster previously said the activists will be imprisoned in Israel and, if they comply, deported back to their countries of origin. The GSF said in a statement today that there has been minimal communication between Israeli forces and the activists' legal representatives, and many involved are unaccounted for.

The fleet is comprised of activists from over 40 countries, including multiple politicians and artists as well as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

The GSF is the most high-profile mission expressing opposition to Israel's blockade of Gaza.