Tánaiste Simon Harris has said his thoughts are with President Catherine Connolly after the “illegal” detention of 10 Irish people, including her sister, who were part of the Gaza aid flotilla.Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it is “wrong” and “unacceptable” that Irish citizens have been detained by Israeli forces.The President said on Monday she was “very worried” that her sister has been detained by Israeli forces after the interception of boats involved in the aid flotilla.Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey, after earlier attempts ⁠to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.One of the 10 Irish detainees is Dr Margaret Connolly, a GP from Sligo, who is sister of Connolly.Harris said on Tuesday: “I was very struck by the President’s comments yesterday, because on a purely personal level, of course you’d be worried, and my heart goes out to President Connolly and her family, and indeed all of the families of those detained.“What Israel has done is, in my view, illegal. It is, in my view, in breach of international law, quite frankly, not even in my view, it is in breach of international law.”Asked whether the Irish Government should engage with Israel on the detention of the President’s sister, Harris said: “We’re at this long enough to know that Israel doesn’t really care very much for people’s words, does it?”He said members of Government, Opposition and others have criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza but “unfortunately Israel seems to ignore the condemnation of the international world”.“That’s why I think it’s important that we look at the actions that can be taken,” he said, referring to the Occupied Territories Bill and action at EU level.The Taoiseach said said the behaviour of Israel in international waters against the aid flotilla is “unacceptable” and that people have a right to protest and take part in a mission to highlight the “shocking” humanitarian issue in Gaza.“In the first instance, what happened is absolutely unacceptable and is wrong,” Martin said ahead of Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.“We have condemned that as we have before where Israel intervenes in international waters and detains and essentially abducts people from the ships, and that’s unacceptable and the international rule of law has to apply.“So, we will be raising this at European Union level in the context of other issues pertaining to Gaza and the West Bank in particular, and we hope to make progress at European Union level in relation to a number of issues in relation to Palestine, particularly in terms of sanctions on settlers, for example, who are to a large extent being facilitated by the Israeli government.”Meanwhile, Irish human rights campaigner Caoimhe Butterly, who is on a vessel monitoring the aid flotilla bound for Gaza from which Irish activists were detained, has expressed concern about how the detainees will be treated.Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland Butterly said there had been no communication since the interception of the flotilla by Israeli forces on Monday. Butterly said the group had been “illegally abducted” and were being detained on a converted cargo prison ship. “There has been no communication with them since the interception, but based on the testimonies of those who were intercepted and, again, illegally detained two weeks ago, there were accounts of physical, psychological and sexual violence perpetuated against some of those on board,” she said.“So we’re, along with the families and friends of those who have now gone, basically incommunicado, waiting for updates.”There was a possibility that the detainees would be taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod from where they would be transferred to prison before deportation, she said.The “abduction” of the people from the flotilla was contrary to international humanitarian law, but also to maritime law, she said. “Those on board have been very clear from the onset that their intention is to both uphold international law but also to challenge what is a hermetic and illegal by all international law metrics siege of Gaza.”When asked if the presence of the sister of the President would have an impact on how those in custody would be treated, Butterly said that, based on the experiences of those in a flotilla last October, which included members of parliament, she thought not, but she hoped “Margaret’s presence brings a measure of safety to those around her”.“But I would say that Margaret Connolly was also very clear that her remit and her presence on board the flotilla, as well as being the President’s sister, was also as a healthcare worker and to try and shine a spotlight on the systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers.” – additional reporting: PA