Comhlámh, the Irish Association of Development Workers and Volunteers, unequivocally condemns the violent interception and abduction of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli naval forces on 1st and 2nd October 2025. The flotilla, comprising hundreds of human rights defenders, medical workers, and civil society workers, set sail with a clear humanitarian mission: to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver urgently needed aid.
The forcible seizure of these vessels and abduction of those on board is a grave violation of international law. It represents yet another attempt to silence acts of global solidarity and to prevent life-saving humanitarian assistance from reaching Gaza.
“The flotilla is a gathering of ordinary and also quite extraordinary people from all walks of life, acting in the place of governments and in the place of global political institutions which so far have not managed to safeguard the rights and or the lives of Palestinians in Gaza.” — Caoimhe Butterly, dear Comhlámh friend and former colleague, currently sailing with the flotilla.
We stand in solidarity with those unjustly abducted and with the people of Gaza, whose rights and dignity continue to be systematically denied.
Our immediate demands
Join Comhlámh in amplifying the demands of Global Sumud Flotilla organisers. Here in Ireland, we call on the Irish government to:
- Use every diplomatic channel to secure the release and safety of all Global Sumud Flotilla participants abducted by Israel in international waters on October 1st and 2nd
- Open up and maintain the legal humanitarian corridor that the flotilla has sailed for.
- Halt ongoing complicity in the genocide by introducing clear sanctions against Israel, including enacting the Occupied Territories Bill in full and ending the passage of US warplanes and weapons through Shannon airport and over Irish airspace.
Abducted Irish citizens named so far
Confirmed abducted (per current reporting): Colm Peter Byrne; Cormac Kevin O’Daly; Louise Heaney; Caitríona Graham; Senator Christopher (Chris) Andrews; Sarah Catherine Clancy; Tara O’Grady; Diarmuid Mac Dubhglais; Thomas Doherty; Donna Marie Schwarz; Patrick Kelly; Patrick O’Donovan; Tara Rose Sheehy; Anthony (Tadhg) Hickey; Mary/Maureen Almai.
We will update these names as authorities and organisers confirm details.
Take action — today and this weekend
- Contact your TDs and Senators today. Tell them to urgently intervene for the release of Irish citizens and to adopt concrete economic, legal and diplomatic measures in line with the Hague Group of states.
- Follow, share and amplify the messages and asks coming from the Global Movement to Gaza Éire, and the Global Sumud Flotilla.
- Join local protests today and on Saturday, 4 October, 12:30pm, starting at the Garden of Remembrance, Dublin 1. Come in your thousands to show unbreakable solidarity, to mark two years of genocide, and to insist that our government move from words to sanctions now.
From words to measures — Ireland must act now
We call on our government to move from words of condemnation to strong and decisive actions to end genocide in Palestine. Ireland must align with the coordinated actions advanced by the Hague Group of countries, who came together to take coordinated economic, legal and diplomatic measures against Israel’s violations of international law.
Over the past year, states across the world have enforced concrete measures through national legislation and executive policies, including halting arms transfers, blocking weapons shipments, suspending procurement from Israeli firms, ceasing energy exports and ensuring accountability through national and international courts.
At this critical moment, Comhlámh reaffirms its commitment to justice, dignity, and global solidarity. We will not remain silent in the face of oppression, and we call on all who believe in human rights to stand with us.
Comhlámh — Irish Association of Development Workers and Volunteers