Israeli forces attack Aid convoy headed for Gaza. - 10 killed

[Technologic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...t/10195838.stm

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the largest vessel overnight, clashing with some of the 500 people on board.

It happened about 40 miles (64 km) out to sea, in international waters.

Israel says its soldiers were shot at and attacked with weapons; the activists say Israeli troops came on board shooting.

The European Union has called for an inquiry to establish what happened.

'Guns and knives'
The six-ship flotilla, carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid, left the coast of Cyprus on Sunday and had been due to arrive in Gaza on Monday.

Israel says its soldiers boarded the lead ship in the early hours but were attacked with axes, knives, bars and at least two guns.


"Unfortunately this group were dead-set on confrontation," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told the BBC.

"Live fire was used against our forces. They initiated the violence, that's 100% clear," he said.

Organisers of the flotilla said at least 30 people were wounded in the incident. Israel says 10 of its soldiers were injured, one seriously.

A leader of Israel's Islamic Movement, Raed Salah, who was on board, was among those hurt.

Audrey Bomse, a spokesperson for the Free Gaza Movement, which is behind the convoy, told the BBC Israel's actions were disproportionate.

"We were not going to pose any violent resistance. The only resistance that there might be would be passive resistance such as physically blocking the steering room, or blocking the engine room downstairs, so that they couldn't get taken over. But that was just symbolic resistance."

She said there was "absolutely no evidence of live fire".

Israel is towing the boats to the port of Ashdod and says it will deport the passengers from there. It says it will deliver the ships' aid to Gaza.

Condemnation
Turkish TV pictures taken on board the Turkish ship leading the flotilla appeared to show Israeli soldiers fighting to control passengers.

GAZA AID CONVOY

Continue reading the main story
Consists of three cargo ships and three passenger ships
Casualties reported on the Mavi Marmara passenger ferry
Mavi Marmara is one of three ships provided by Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), a Turkish aid organisation with links to the Turkish government
Other ships are organised by the Free Gaza Movement, an international coalition of activist groups
Up to 600 mostly Turkish passengers, tonnes of cement and at least two journalists on board the Mavi Mamara
The footage showed a number of people, apparently injured, lying on the ground. A woman was seen holding a blood-stained stretcher.

Al-Jazeera TV reported from the same ship that Israeli navy forces had opened fire and boarded the vessel, wounding the captain.

The Al-Jazeera broadcast ended with a voice shouting in Hebrew, saying: "Everybody shut up!"

Israel's deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said his country "regrets any loss of life and did everything to avoid this outcome".

He accused the convoy of a "premeditated and outrageous provocation", describing the flotilla as an "armada of hate".

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel's actions, saying it had committed a massacre.

Most of the people on board the boats were Turkish.

Turkey accused Israel of "targeting innocent civilians".

"We strongly denounce Israel's inhumane interception," it said, warning of "irreparable consequences" to the two countries' relations.


Danny Ayalon, Israeli deputy foreign minister: "The organisers' intent was violent."
Turkey was Israel's closest Muslim ally but relations have deteriorated over the past few years.

In Turkey, hundreds of protesters are demonstrating outside the Israeli consulate in the Istanbul, while Israeli ambassadors have been summoned to the Turkish, Greek and Spanish foreign ministries to explain what happened.

Greece has withdrawn from joint military exercises with Israel in protest at the raid on the flotilla.

Blockade
Israel had repeatedly said it would stop the boats, calling the campaign a "provocation intended to delegitimise Israel".

Israel and Egypt tightened a blockade of Gaza after the Islamist movement Hamas took power there in 2007.

Israel says it allows about 15,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid into Gaza every week.

But the United Nations says this is less than a quarter of what is needed.

The incident comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington after one of the most strained periods in US-Israeli relations in years.

[Jordy]

Truly sickening, how the West continue to let Israel get away with this I'll never understand. Once again using disproportionate force and they will get away with it once again as they have done for the past 60 years

[Technologic]

Around 20 are now confirmed dead International waters as well

[Jordy]

Well I'm glad to see Greece finally doing something decent and stopping military exercises with them (They probably couldn't afford them anyway!). The EU had better do some sanctions too, but much like the US they'll probably do nothing.

[Technologic]

Well I'm glad to see Greece finally doing something decent and stopping military exercises with them (They probably couldn't afford them anyway!). The EU had better do some sanctions too, but much like the US they'll probably do nothing.

I'm waiting for Iran to do something...

[Jordy]

I'm waiting for Iran to do something...

Doubt they'll do anything they never usually do. They do fund Hamas, Palestine, Syria etc though.

[BeanEgg]

Biggest lie ever.

Aid to Gaza, Israel OBVIOUSLY don't like this.

They board a ship that is in international waters, why bother?!

SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE TO STOP THE ISRAELI IDIOTS!
I doubt anything would be done to be honest, if Iran did something like this I'm sure the UN and the USA would get involved. :|

[xxMATTGxx]

Hold on. So they attacked ships that were carrying "aid" only in international waters? What the bloody hell.

[DaveTaylor]

Quite interesting how one sided this news article actually is, as to be honest Israel accepted they did wrong:

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla were to blame after at least 10 activists were killed when Israel Navy commandos stormed the ship.


Defense Minister Ehud Barak

Photo by: Archive

In a press conference hours after the incident, Barak said that Israel was prepared to accept the consequences of its actions and would continue to protect its autonomy.

Barak voiced regret for the deaths, but called the flotilla a political provocation by and said the sponsors of the flotilla were violent supporters of a terror organization.

yet BBC don't mention that?

source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomac...ashes-1.293187

[Technologic]

Quite interesting how one sided this news article actually is, as to be honest Israel accepted they did wrong:


yet BBC don't mention that?

source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomac...ashes-1.293187

Chairs hardly constitute as weapons.