2 October 2025

Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann is gravely concerned about the abduction of poet Sarah Clancy, one of several Irish citizens taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla. The flotilla was last night illegally intercepted and seized by armed Israeli forces in international waters approximately 70 nautical miles from Gaza. It was assaulted by Israeli military forces, with participants kidnapped by armed Israeli agents. 

The Irish Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs urgently need to act to ensure that Irish participants are not mistreated while in Israeli captivity.

The flotilla seeks only to break the siege, deliver aid and to highlight the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These illegal acts against a non-violent civilian vessel carrying humanitarian aid and unarmed activists are unacceptable under international law.
Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann expresses its support for these aims. We call on the Irish government and the Irish embassy in Israel to protect Irish writer Sarah Clancy and all the Irish citizens that have been illegally abducted by Israel.

We reiterate our call for the protection of the lives and human rights of writers, journalists, and all innocent people affected by the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

And we again call for an unimpeded access to urgently needed humanitarian aid and the release of all the hostages, including the 59 Israeli hostages and 3577 administrative Palestinian prisoners detained with no trial (of which more than 400 are children).

Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann
Pádraig Hanratty and Liz McManus (Co-Chairs)