Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Seanad os rud é gur chur na Baill an t-ábhar tábhachtach seo ar an gclár ar maidin, the Global Sumud Flotilla, an Loingeas Domhanda Sumud. Is cabhlach de 50 long é an flotilla cúnamh daonnúil a thabhairt go Gaza. The global flotilla wants to deliver humanitarian aid - we all do - and establish an open and sustained humanitarian corridor to Gaza.

We all have been looking closely at reports on the interception of the flotilla by the Israeli navy. We have confirmation that at least 14 Irish citizens are among those intercepted and detained. There may be two other citizens detained as well. We are still verifying the presence of those two citizens and expect to have confirmation in the coming hours. I am very aware that that cohort includes our colleague, Senator Chris Andrews. Our Dáil colleague, Deputy Barry Heneghan, is also participating in an associated flotilla which is continuing its progress through the Mediterranean sea. In this situation, the clear priority for all of us is to ensure the safety and well-being of our colleagues and citizens.

I understand the Tánaiste convened a meeting this morning with senior officials in our Department, including Ireland’s ambassador to Israel, to respond to the latest developments. He will also remain in contact with his EU counterparts. That shows that, notwithstanding any major difficulties we have in relationships with other countries, it is important to keep diplomatic channels open, particularly for situations like this.

Officials from across the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including those in the embassy in Tel Aviv, are actively engaged with the situation. They are providing consular assistance to those affected. Department officials are also in direct and ongoing dialogue with a designated point of contact for the flotilla. The Department has established a point of contact for the families of those affected with the relevant contact details shared with the flotilla co-ordinators. That is a very important aspect because it must be an extremely worrying time for those families. The embassy in Tel Aviv remains in direct contact with the authorities in Israel and the embassy staff are seeking consular access to the detainees as soon as possible, mindful that today is a religious holiday in Israel. The detainees are entitled to consular assistance and we are certainly demanding that. Our embassy is well resourced to support our citizens. Our consular team in Dublin is also supporting the efforts on the ground in Israel.

In terms of next steps, our understanding is that all detainees will now be transferred to Ashdod Port for processing, and from there to a detention facility south of Tel Aviv, where they will have access to medical teams. We expect this to take most of the day today. It is our expectation that those who have been detained will be given the option to leave immediately and, if not, they will have a hearing within 72 hours. Given that today is Yom Kippur, we expect that processing time may be impacted. We remain in constant contact with our consular team on the ground. They are working to establish the precise whereabouts of every single Irish citizen to ensure their safety and dignity, and to secure their swift release. This is an evolving situation. All Senators will know it is an evolving situation because they are following the situation on social media. We continue to closely monitor the situation and, indeed, we keep the many Irish citizens involved, including our friends and colleagues, Senator Chris Andrews and Deputy Barry Heneghan, in our thoughts.

The Tánaiste is also taking steps to co-ordinate with EU and international partners. This morning, the Tánaiste was in direct contact with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and spoke to Mr. Albares Bueno, the Spanish foreign minister, on how we take a co-ordinated EU approach and, fundamentally, and this applies throughout, to also uphold international law. This will follow a joint statement that Ireland signed in recent weeks which recalls that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight that our solidarity must also extend to the people of Gaza and the horrific man-made famine and genocide that has been taking place there. Given the appalling scenes that we continue to witness, it is unsurprising that many feel moved to take action in response to the situation.

I take this opportunity to assure families and friends who are following events with understandable anxiety and, indeed, the colleagues of Senator Chris Andrews in this House, and the colleagues of Deputy Barry Heneghan in the other House, that the Government remains deeply and continuously engaged on this issue, at all levels. At a political level, diplomatic level, Civil Service level and international level, we are working tirelessly to safeguard the welfare of our citizens. All citizens are entitled to be treated properly and they are entitled to consular assistance. We want to continue the engagement to make sure that that happens and is the case.