LAST UPDATE | 23 May

A GROUP OF Irish citizens who were illegally detained in international waters by Israel while taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have returned home today.

They were some of the first of over 400 activists to arrive in Istanbul on Thursday after being deported by Israel, following widespread condemnation of a video showing the activists detained with their hands tied and foreheads to the ground.

The group of activists landed in Dublin Airport and were welcomed by a crowd of hundreds of supporters.

There were cheers in the terminal as friends and family hugged their loved ones, with others singing pro-Palestinian chants and waving flags and banners.

Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, was among the arrivals.

Speaking to reporters, Margaret Connolly said the detainees had been kept in “dehumanising” conditions. 

She added:

“This Israeli regime has to be dismantled, and the land, a big portion, given back to the Palestinian people, who are the true owners of the land.”

Speaking of her experience in Israel she said detainees had to gather their body heat together for fear of hypothermia.

She added: “The Muslim men allowed me – an Irish white doctor – to cuddle them like a mother. All barriers were broken.

“My admiration for their courage and their spirit increased hugely.

“It would not be me. I’ve lost my faith, but love kept me going – love of my family, love of comrades. We held together.”

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The Irish branch of the Global Sumud had invited people to come out and welcome the group home. Friends, family and pro-Palestinian activists waited in Terminal 1 of the airport for the activists to land the flight from Istanbul.

Similar scenes could be seen in other countries welcoming back activists detained by Israel, including in Amsterdam and Spain.

Israeli authorities have denied mistreating the detainees.