A Belfast aid worker who was deported from Israel after joining a flotilla to Gaza has described the voyage as exhausting and worrying. Fra Hughes, director of Palestine Aid, was among hundreds of activists whose boats were intercepted by Israeli forces as they attempted to deliver a symbolic shipment of aid. He was one of 14 Irish citizens detained and later deported, returning home via Turkey.

Hughes said conditions at sea were difficult, with constant engine noise and little rest, but he had prepared himself mentally for a prolonged ordeal. After their detention, he and other activists were held in metal enclosures he described as cages. He said the group had undergone non violence training before departure.

The interception prompted international criticism after a video showed Israel's National Security Minister taunting detained activists. Ireland's prime minister Micheál Martin said he was appalled by the footage, adding that it had intensified anger across the European Union. Israel defended its actions, stating it would not allow any breach of its naval blockade on Gaza.