In 2010, McGeough travelled on a Gaza-bound flotilla, reporting for "The Sydney Morning Herald" and "Brisbane Times" from aboard the "MV Samoud" (also known as the "MV Challenger I"). When Israeli forces boarded the flotilla's vessels on 31 May, McGeough and "Herald" photographer Kate Geraghty were among those detained. In an audio transmission sent shortly before the "MV Samoud" was intercepted, he said: