ISRAEL HAS RELEASED illegally detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla after widespread condemnation of a video showing the activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, lawyer for detainees Suhad Bishara said the activists will travel to Turkey, and from there to their home countries.

The lawyer said all Irish citizens detained by Israel have been released. She said twelve are due to leave via Turkey today, including Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly. The remaining three Irish citizens “are being deported in a different route”.

“The sister of the president met with one of our staff lawyers yesterday, and she’s making her way to Ramon right now,” Bishara said.

Screengrab of video posted on X by Itamar Ben Gvir. Itamar Ben Gvir / X Itamar Ben Gvir / X / X

The lawyer said the treatment of the detained activists was “the most severe” in the past ten years in terms of violence and degradation. 

“Many of them were in severe pain. We know of three, at least, that were hospitalised last night and released later on. One of them was kept under medical observation. Many complained of humiliation, some complained of sexual harassment,” Bishara said. 

A video of the bound activists, which was shared by Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was published after Israel’s naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessels in international waters and brought 430 activists to Israel. 

ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור

Welcome to Israel 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026

Captioned “Welcome to Israel”, the footage shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground with the Israeli national anthem playing in the background.

It also shows Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag amongst the activists. Catriona Graham, one of at least 13 Irish activists that were detained by Israel, can be seen being pulled to the ground after saying “free Palestine” at the start of the video. 

Bishara said the latest developments come after a “long night” at Ashdod Port in Israel.

“They had to go through hearings before immigration officers, and from there they moved to prison in the south, in the desert.

“We met hundreds of participants yesterday, and the picture that we have is that there was a very systematic and patterned way of violence against participants.”

The news comes as Taoiseach Micheál Martin wrote to the President of the European Council calling for the suspension of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel following its “shocking” treatment of the activists.

The flotilla was the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces last month.