The international group of volunteers detained by Israel onboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) vessel the Madleen have been praised by Tánaiste Simon Harris for highlighting “the urgent need for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza”.
“It should not fall to any small group of civilians to get aid into Gaza,” the Tánaiste said on Monday as the Madleen and its 12-strong crew were being brought to the port of Ashdod.
“The question we should be asking today is not a debate about the merits or not of the flotilla, but how it has come to this; that the world is turning a blind eye to starving children in Gaza.
“Ireland has consistently called on Israel to lift its blockade and allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
“The UN and humanitarian organisations must be allowed to work independently and do their job.”
The activists aboard the Madleen, which was boarded by Israeli authorities in the early hours of Monday morning, were said by supporters, a number of whom are Irish, to have been unharmed in the operation.
They said the vessel and crew, who had been attempting to reach Gaza, were expected on Monday in Ashdod where lawyers working for Israel-based, Palestinian-run legal NGO Adaleh hoped to be able to meet them.
The crew includes, among others, French, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish nationals; the embassies of those countries are reported to have confirmed the individuals involved are safe and well.
Among the activists detained were climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament.
The risks of this journey were something we spoke about and analysed for months while we planned it, but the risk of inaction, of allowing more children in Gaza to be massacred and starved, on our watch, we all assessed as much greater
— Caoimhe Butterly
The vessel is carrying a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza, including baby formula, food and medical supplies.
Supporters say they expect the crew members will be held for a time before being deported, most likely in the next 72 hours.
Caoimhe Butterly, an Irish organiser and psychosocial supports co-ordinator with the FFC, who has been onboard previous attempts by the organisation to reach Gaza, said all of the participants in the current sailing had been aware of the risks but had felt compelled to participate due to the importance of the issue.
“We were in contact with all 12 on the Madleen until the moment of the boarding of the ship last night,” she said.
“All of the participants and crew faced into the possibility of arrest or violence with calm and unity and focus on the urgency of the mission.
“The risks of this journey were something we spoke about and analysed for months while we planned it, but the risk of inaction, of allowing more children in Gaza to be massacred and starved, on our watch, we all assessed as much greater.”
[ Israel seizes Gaza aid boat containing Greta ThunbergOpens in new window ]
Meanwhile, Dublin City councillors are to write to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste seeking Government action in the wake of the Madleen seizure.
Agreement was reached by group leaders on the council, after a motion had initially been proposed by People Before Profit’s Conor Reddy. The letter is to be sent by the Lord Mayor on behalf of all councillors.
“The blockade itself is a violation of international law. Under the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention, states are obligated to take action to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. If our government believes these crimes are occurring — and they say they do — then there are clear legal and moral duties to act. That is what should happen now," said Councillor Reddy.
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, meanwhile, said the EU should sanction Israel over the Madleen incident and its wider actions in relation to Gaza.
“Israel has no authority in international waters, nor has it any legal right to block aid from Gaza,” he said. “The EU must act immediately to let humanitarian aid in to the starving people of Gaza now.”
Amnesty International said the boarding of the Madleen was unacceptable and that in continuing to restrict the flow of humanitarian aid, Israel had “flouted its legal obligations towards civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip and demonstrated its chilling contempt for legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice”.
In a post on social media platform X on Monday morning, the Israeli Foreign Ministry mocked those on board the Madleen, which it referred to as a “selfie yacht”.
It said the Madleen was “safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries”.
