Tipperary woman among detained Gaza flotilla activists released after Israeli detention
The Irish activists were deported to Turkey for transit back to Ireland on Thursday
Nenagh woman Tara Sheehy is among more than 400 people deported in the past 24 hours after being detained by Israel.
She was one of fourteen Irish citizens detained in Israel this week, notably alongside Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly.
It was reported on Thursday afternoon (May 21) that the activists had been released from prison and deported to Turkey. They are believed to be flying home to Ireland from there.
Speaking in the Dáil on Thursday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said the Irish group would be met by Ireland’s ambassador to Turkey, Clare Brosnan, and added:
“Let me be very clear, these actions, the illegal detention, the way in which our citizens have been detained, we all saw the footage of direct contact with our citizens, it is completely unacceptable”.
The news comes in the same week that the Dáil voted against proposed legislation seeking to impose sanctions on Israel by 77 votes to 62.
The bill, put forward last November by People Before Profit–Solidarity, proposed prohibiting all trade, investment, financial dealings and state-linked economic activity with Israel.
Following the vote, People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett took to social media to criticise and list TDs who voted against the proposal. Tipperary TDs Ryan O'Meara, Michael Lowry and Michael Murphy were included in the list.
Minister Helen McEntee then said on Thursday that the Occupied Territories Bill would return to the Dáil in the coming weeks. This bill is narrower in scope and is aimed specifically at banning trade with Israeli settlements in territories considered illegally occupied under international law, rather than targeting Israel as a whole, which was the intention of the legislation voted on this week.
A UNICEF update published in February reported that from 7 October 2023 to 3 February 2026, 71,803 Palestinians were reported killed in the Gaza Strip, including at least 21,289 children.
“Additionally, 171,230 Palestinians were reported injured, including 44,500 children. Since the start of the ceasefire on 10 October 2025 until the end of the year, 529 Palestinians were reported killed, including more than 120 children, and 1,184 Palestinians were reported injured.”
UNICEF also reported that no hospital in the Gaza Strip is fully functional, while 50 per cent (18/36) are partially functional. Among primary healthcare centres, 1.5 per cent (3/200) are fully functional and 46.5 per cent (93/200) are partially functional.