Dr Margaret Connolly, one of the Irish citizens who was detained by Israeli Soldiers when the flotilla was intercepted along international waters this week, has spoken about the horrific ordeal they experienced during their detention.
Dr Connolly, a Sligo GP, whose sister is the Irish President Catherine Connolly, was among one of the Irish citizens and 430 activists who were detained in Israel, after the flotilla was intercepted at Sea earlier this week, which was attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, breaking the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
The Irish citizens have since been reunited with loved ones after arriving at Dublin Airport this afternoon.
Speaking about her ordeal earlier this week, Dr Margaret Connolly claimed she and other activists were "kidnapped and abducted" and "held against our will on a warship".
"My colleagues experienced 35 fractures, five head injuries," she said. "There was 15 sexual assaults, eye injuries, ear injuries. A huge number of laser injuries. People experienced broken feet. There was bullets shot at people's feet".
Dr Connolly stated that a large number of people have suffered injured backs and shoulders following this ordeal.
"We were all bent down like hogs and kept in this position for hours", she said, before adding that those who suffered such injuries had fractures and "screamed and howled in pain all night long".
She continued: "I want to tell you, what I saw ... people in agony, people freezing and cold with hypothermia, no clothes, drenched clothes".
Dr Connolly further claimed that when they asked for water, they were refused, and for food, she said that "disgusting" bread rolls were thrown at them. She went on to say that they were not even provided with toilet paper, or medicines, while women were even denied sanitary towels.
Dr Connolly explained that guns were also pointed at the activists by guards, who stared down at them "like we were filth".
"We were not allowed to look up. We stared at the ground the whole time. They kicked you if you looked up", she said. "We were not human to them".
"I want to just say, if they do this to Europeans in international waters, how dare they".
Dr Connolly went on to criticise a vote in the Dáil earlier this week, against legislation imposing sanctions against Israel.
"How dare the Irish Government allow this to happen," she said. "How dare they vote no to sanctions? It is utterly barbaric".
Another Irish citizen who was on board, Tom Deasy, said there is a huge feeling of relief for those onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, but also a "realisation of what has happened".
"Trying to put it into words is probably impossible. We knew there were risks going into it. We knew we would likely face the IOF but the sheer brutality that we witnessed was something that I never thought in my life that I, or anyone I knew, would be put into that position", he said.
This comes after footage of their detention circulated online, showing people kneeling with hands tied behind their back in tightly packed groups, which been widely condemned by senior Irish politicians and across the EU, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
