Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly makes a speech during the ‘4th Meeting in Defense of Democracy’ held at Fira Barcelona Gran Via in LaHospitalet de Llobregat, in Barcelona, Spain on 18 April 2026. [Getty]
The sister of Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly, is among eight Irish citizens abducted in international waters by Israel on Gaza-bound aid flotilla ships, organisers said Monday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla vessels are the latest in a string of attempts by activists to break Israel’s illegal blockade of the Palestinian coastal territory.
Around 50 ships had departed from southwestern Turkey on Thursday.
“Global Sumud Flotilla is under attack!” the group wrote on X.
“The Israeli occupation has again illegally and violently intercepted our international fleet of humanitarian vessels and abducted our volunteers.”
Margaret Connolly, an Irish doctor and President Connolly’s sister, was among those “illegally kidnapped” by Israel, organisers said in a statement sent to AFP.
“Eight Irish people have been illegally detained in this operation,” it said.
President Connolly, on a planned trip to the UK, told reporters after talks in London with King Charles III that the news was “upsetting”.
“I’m very worried about her, and I’m also very concerned about her colleagues on board,” she said, adding she did not have any details.
Videos posted by the organisers on social media showed Connolly and five others, who appear to have been recorded before their detention.
In her video, Connolly said: “If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotilla by the Israeli occupying forces”.
“Her participation in this flotilla was her own decision and not related to President Connolly,” organisers said.
Meanwhile, international outrage continues against Israel, with the Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Indonesia, Spain, Pakistan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Turkey, Colombia, Libya and the Maldives condemning in the strongest terms the renewed Israeli attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
According to a statement issued by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, the ministers denounced with deep concern the Israeli interceptions against previous flotillas in international waters, and condemned the continued hostilities targeting civilian ships and humanitarian activists, as these attacks, including attacks on ships and the arbitrary detention of activists, constitute blatant violations of international law.
The ministers expressed grave concern for the safety and security of civilian participants, and called for the immediate release of all detained activists and the guarantee of full respect for their rights and dignity.
They also stressed that the repeated attacks on peaceful humanitarian initiatives reflect a continued disregard for international law and freedom of navigation, calling on the international community to take concrete steps to end impunity and hold those responsible to account.
