Gaza flotilla raid

Gaza flotilla raid
Map of the respective routes of the Gaza-bound flotilla (green) and of the Israeli Navy (orange).
Location	International waters of the Mediterranean Sea
Coordinates	32.64113 N 33.56727 E
Date	31 May 2010 (2010-05-31) 4:30 a.m. (UTC+3)
Deaths	9 passengers
Injured	Several dozen passengers and at least seven Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commandos.

The Gaza flotilla raid, code named Operation Sea Breeze by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was the boarding and seizure of six ships from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. The flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), was attempting to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid and building supplies to the Gaza strip. The six ships gathered near Cyprus, and departed on 30 May 2010 carrying 663 people from 37 countries. Israeli commandos boarded the ships in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, after the flotilla refused Israel's offer to have their cargo inspected at the Ashdod port, and delivered by land.

Activists aboard the flotilla's largest ship, the MV Mavi Marmara, clashed with Israeli Shayetet 13 special forces as they abseiled onto the deck of the vessel. One activist on board said that the Israelis fired warning shots before boarding. The commandos said they were attacked with knives, slingshots, and metal pipes, and switched from non-lethal weapons to live rounds after several activists seized their pistols. Other passengers said that the activists had acted in self defense, disarming the soldiers and throwing their weapons into the sea. Nine of the activists were shot and killed by the Israeli commandos, dozens were wounded, and hundreds were arrested. At least seven of the commandos were also wounded—two seriously. Israeli officials have accused the IHH of sending a group of activists on the MV Mavi Marmara determined to instigate violence; the IHH rejects the accusation.

The raid prompted international reactions, including widespread condemnations, from national authorities, supranational bodies and NGOs, as well as demonstrations and riots around the world. The United Nations Security Council condemned "those acts resulting in civilian deaths," demanded an impartial investigation of the raid, and called for the immediate release of civilians held by Israel. Israel responded that it would release 620 of the 682 arrested people and deport them back to their countries. The incident further complicated the already deteriorating relations between Turkey and Israel.

The supplies seized by the Israelis were unloaded at the Ashdod port and inspected by Israeli authorities: those items approved by Israel were sent toward Gaza by land. Hamas refused to allow this shipment into Gaza unless Israel released all individuals detained from the flotilla and agreed to allow the flotilla organizers deliver the supplies directly into Gaza, including construction materials, without Israeli inspections. MV Rachel Corrie, a ship originally intended to be part of the flotilla continued its attempt to deliver materials to Gaza; it was also seized in international waters by the Israelis.

Background

Main article: 2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip

After the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel tightened the blockade of the Gaza Strip, maintaining that the blockade is necessary to limit Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on its cities and to prevent Hamas from obtaining other weapons. It argued that following the takeover of Gaza by Hamas and the intensification of Qassam rocket attacks, it is not legally responsible for Gaza and not obliged to help what it considers a hostile territory beyond whatever is necessary to avoid a humanitarian crisis. Speaking in 2006, Dov Weisglass, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was quoted by political sources to have said that, "The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger." Weisglass has denied this report. Later in January 2009, after its Operation Cast Lead, Israel declared a formal naval blockade of Gaza. As of April 2010, movement of Palestinians via Rafah and Erez crossings controlled by the Egyptian and the Israeli authorities, respectively, remained largely restricted and limited to medical and other humanitarian cases. Israeli human rights organization Gisha, the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, obtained an Israeli government document which says "A country has the right to decide that it chooses not to engage in economic relations or to give economic assistance to the other party to the conflict, or that it wishes to operate using 'economic warfare' ". These, along with the control of Gaza's airspace by Israel resulted in a complete blockade of Gaza.

Israel allows limited humanitarian supplies from aid organizations into the Gaza Strip. According to an Amnesty International report; some of the blocked items include petrol, construction material, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, pasta, clothing, toys, hygiene products, generators, glass, and medical supplies. Numerous reports and statements by the United Nations and independent NGOs stated that the blocking of various supplies by Israel was creating a humanitarian crisis in the region. According to the activists, this was a collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza and thus illegal under international law.

Organisation

Cargo of the flotilla

Mavi Marmara from the side. Source: Free Gaza Movement

The ships were to carry what the organizers identified as 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, with a value of $20 million, including food and medicine, and building materials such as cement which make up 4/5 of the cargo's gross weight and which Israel bans as part of the blockade. Israel prevents cement and other building materials from reaching Gaza, arguing that although they have legitimate uses, they might also be used for military purposes. Organizers say that building materials are necessary to rebuild the infrastructure of Gaza that was seriously damaged in the 2008–2009 Gaza war.

Free Gaza Movement

Main article: Free Gaza Movement

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, comprised of eight ships, was organized to break Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. This was the tenth time that the Free Gaza Movement had tried to ship aid to Gaza. Five aid shipments had been allowed through prior to the Gaza War of 2008–09, but all shipments following the war were blocked by Israeli forces. This flotilla, the largest sent by far, was supported with one large passenger ship and two cargo ships by an Islamic aid group from Turkey, the IHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) (English: The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief).

IHH

IHH is a Turkish NGO established in 1992 and officially registered in Istanbul in 1995. It provides humanitarian relief in areas of war, earthquake, hunger, and conflict. The IHH has held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004. Evan Kohlmann in a working paper from the Danish Institute for International Studies says that the IHH has ties with radical militant Islamic groups (such as Hamas and al-Qaeda), and that the IHH aids terrorism.

People on board the flotilla

Main article: List of participants of the Gaza flotilla

There were in total 663 participants from 37 nations on board the flotilla. Notable people aboard the flotilla included Israeli-Arab member of Knesset Haneen Zoubi, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel Raed Salah, Swedish novelist Henning Mankell, and a number of parliamentarians from European and Arab national legislatures and the European Parliament.

Ships in flotilla

Main article: Ships of Gaza flotilla raid

Flag	Name	Organisation	Port	Passengers	Crew	Cargo
USA	Challenger 1	Free Gaza Movement
Greece	MS Free Mediterranean	Ship to Gaza	Piraeus
Greece	Sfendoni	Greek Ship to Gaza, European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza	Piraeus
Comoros	MV Mavi Marmara	IHH	Antalya	581 (around 400 Turkish)
Turkey	Gazze	IHH	Antalya	5	13	2,104 tons of cement, 600 tons of construction steel, and 50 tons of tiles
Kiribati	Defne Y	IHH	Antalya	27	23	150 tons of iron, 98 power units, 50 precast homes, 16 units of children's playground equipment
USA	Challenger 2	Free Gaza Movement
Cambodia	MV Rachel Corrie	Free Gaza Movement	Dundalk	11	8	550 tons of cement, 20 tons of paper, 100 tons of high-end medical equipment, fabric and thread

Challenger 2 and MV Rachel Corrie were behind the rest of the flotilla due to mechanical problems, possibly due to an Israeli sabotage. Challenger 2 aborted, but the MV Rachel Corrie continued its journey.

Events during the preliminary stages

The incoming fleet was known to Israel government, military intelligence and press. Israel declared that the flotilla was "about to break international law"; with one of the flotilla's organizers, Greta Berlin, saying "[w]e have the right to sail from international waters into the waters of Gaza".

An Israeli spokesman announced that the convoy would not be permitted to reach Gaza but would be redirected by force to the port of Ashdod, where "large tents and other facilities had been set up at the port to receive the activists, so that either Israel or humanitarian agencies could deliver them to Gaza overland." Israeli officials also said that all non-banned cargo would be transferred to Gaza after undergoing a security inspection, which would mean not allowing some of the activist's supplies, such as concrete and cement through. Foreigners would be deported or, if they did not willingly agree to be deported, detained.

The flotilla organisers rejected Israel's offer, saying that Israelis would not let the reconstruction aid into Gaza, and further "This mission is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it's about breaking Israel's siege on 1.5 million Palestinians... We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of Gaza and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation."

Some supporters of the flotilla announced on 28 May: "A violent response from Israel will breathe new life into the Palestine solidarity movement, drawing attention to the blockade." Some of the activists who would later die during the MV Mavi Marmara clash spoke of dreams of martyrdom. Ali Khaider Benginin told his family before leaving, "I am going to be a shahid; I dreamt I will become a shahid – I saw in a dream that I will be killed." His wife also said that he "constantly prayed to become a martyr." On 29 May, Aljazeera broadcast footage of some activists on the MV Mavi Marmara participating in a chant invoking battle against Jews. On 3 June, the IDF released footage from a Press TV interview before the raid in which a flotilla passenger says, "With the help of God, I will be a shahid."

Six of the eight ships in the flotilla set out on 30 May 2010 from international waters off the coast of Cyprus; the remaining two were delayed by mechanical problems and did not join the rest of the flotilla. During a briefing to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset, Israel's legislature, Israeli colonel Itzik Turgeman hinted that the Israeli Defense Forces had sabotaged the engines of five ships belonging to the flotilla, saying that "they took care of them."

The government of Cyprus refused to cooperate with the Free Gaza Movement, or allow activists to sail from its harbors, with the Cyprus Police stating that "anything related to the trip to Gaza is not permitted," and as a result remaining MPs and activists embarked instead from Famagusta in Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus. Cypriot and Greek MPs and activists refused to embark via ports in Northern Cyprus. Having been delayed by two days, the flotilla aimed to reach Gaza on the afternoon of 31 May.

Boarding

File:Gaza-flotilla-boarded.jpg

Israeli commandos, guns out, aboard the MV Mavi Marmara. On the lower-right the Flag of Turkey is visible.

The flotilla had planned to break through the Gaza blockade, ignoring Israel's proposal for the activists to dock in Ashdod port and transfer the permitted items in the cargo through there. After the flotilla activists ignored orders to change course, Israeli soldiers from the Shayetet 13 unit boarded the ships at around 04:00 IST with sidearms and paintball guns while in international waters about 80 miles (130 km) out to sea.

Initial contact

The Israeli Navy made initial contact with the flotilla at 11 p.m. (2000 UTC) on 30 May, about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Gaza, 80 miles (130 km) off the coast of southern Lebanon, in international waters, ordering the ships to follow them to port or otherwise be boarded.

According to Israel radio the following message was sent by the Israeli navy to the captain of the Mavi Marmara: "You are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbour are closed to maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Gaza Strip and invites you to enter Ashdod port. Delivery of supplies will be in accordance with the authorities' regulations and through the formal land crossing to Gaza and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports." The reply was: "Negative, negative. Our destination is Gaza."

The Israeli media published an audio reproduction released by the Israeli Defense Force of the purported radio exchange between the Israeli navy and the Define Y. The audio clip started with the message "Defne Y, this is the Israeli Navy, you're approaching an area which is under naval blockade." A man then said, "Shut up! Go back to Auschwitz!" Afterward, a woman said, "We have permission from the Gaza port authority to enter." A man later said, "We're helping Arabs go against the US. Don't forget 9/11, guys." Another ship reportedly replied "Jihad, Jihad, Jihad." An Israeli journalist who was on board an IDF ship confirmed the IDF accounts.

Huwaida Arraf, who was on the Challenger 1, has confirmed that her voice is featured in the recording, but says that the presence of her voice in the transmissions proves that the audio has been edited by the IDF. The captain of Challenger 1 Denis Healey rejected the authenticity of the audiotape, stating that "There was no exchange like this by anyone on any boat during the entire time I was piloting the boat". A press statement was issued by Israeli Defence Forces in the attempt to clarify this descrepancy, claiming that "due to an open channel, the specific ship or ships in the Freedom Flotilla responding to the Israeli Navy could not be identified." The IDF also has released a longer version of the radio transmission between the Gaza Flotilla and the Israeli Navy in one of their websites.

Shortly after, two Israeli naval vessels flanked the flotilla on either side, but at a distance, and an Israeli aircraft flew overhead.

Mavi Marmara boarding

The boarding of the Mavi Marmara resulted in violent clashes between activists and Israeli soldiers. Each side claims that the other started the violence, and the parties disagree on who acted in self-defense against illegitimate actions of the other side.

The operation started in the early morning at 4:30. Speedboats and three Black Hawk helicopters, each with a team of 15 soldiers equipped with pistols and paint ball guns, approached the flotilla. The Mavi Marmara's passengers later reported gunfire, blue flares and deafening noise from the first helicopter at this time. During the raid, a number of passengers were killed by Israeli soldiers.

Journalists' accounts

File:ALeqM5hsKMJuCoXVL9LGFWr3Xf1YXYwU4Q.jpg

Wounded Israeli soldier surrounded by activists on the Mavi Marmara. One of the activists is holding a knife. Source: Hürriyet.

Al Jazeera journalist Jamal Elshayyal, aboard the Mavi Marmara, said "the first shots that were fired were either some sort of sound grenades...there was tear gas that was fired, as well as rubber-coated steel bullets...the live fire came roughly five minutes after that." He continued that "one of the passengers who was on the side of the deck holding a water hose, trying to hose off, if you will, the advancing Israeli Navy, was shot in his arm..." He stated, "There is no doubt from what I saw that live ammunition was fired before any Israeli soldier was on deck." and that two persons were shot and killed before the soldiers had started boarding. According to Elshayyal, three persons also died while passengers including a Knesset member, tried in vain to make the soldiers help the wounded.

Elshayyal stated that passengers took apart some of the railing bars of the ship when they saw the Israeli ship approaching from a distance and that he saw "a number of Israeli soldiers being beaten with them" as soon as they tried to come aboard. He said he "heard accounts of three, in fact, Israeli soldiers being taken captive during the battle, and those accounts that once they had been taken captive, the intensity of the fighting increased, so the organizers of the ship ordered that these soldiers be released lest the passengers be inflicted more harm."

Al Jazeera cameraman Andre Abu Khalil, also aboard the ship, concurred that the initial wave of Israeli soldiers were overpowered but that there were four captured rather than three, who were "brought to the lowest deck (with) fracture wounds" and only after that live ammunition was used.

One of the journalists broadcasting live from Mavi Marmara during the raid reported that two soldiers had been captured, and were being safely held and treated for their wounds.

Ron Ben-Yishai, a veteran war correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth was aboard the Victory, an Israeli missile ship. He said the army planned to land a team on the top deck and rush the bridge and take control. He reported that that the assessment was that the passengers would show "light resistance and possibly minor violence". He said the soldiers were told to confront protesters verbally, use crowd control tactics and use firearms only to save their own lives. The commandos were not able to rush the bridge as planned and another helicopter was sent with a second troop. At first, the soldiers attempted to stop the violence with stun grenades; however, after a soldier was reported injured, the troops then asked for permission to use their firearms, which they received.

Israel's account

File:Activistboatclash.jpg

Snapshot of footage showing activists with rods beating a soldier on the deck. Source: IDF.

According to the Israeli military, Israeli commandos prepared to encounter political activists seeking to hold a protest, were armed with paintball guns and handguns as sidearms. The soldiers had orders to peacefully convince the activists to give up, and if not successful, use non-lethal force to commandeer the ship. The commandos were instructed to use the sidearms in an emergency, when their lives were at risk.

The Israeli military reported that the commandos were immediately attacked after descending from helicopters onto the deck of the ship. Soldiers were beaten badly, including stabbings, and one was thrown to a lower deck 30 feet (9.1 m) below. Two Israeli commandos had their guns wrested away. An Israeli commando said that there was live fire at some point against them from below deck. Some of the commandos suffered gunshot wounds. According to Major Avital Leibovich of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the activists attacked the soldiers with knives, slingshots, spikes, and clubs, and with pistols that were seized from Israeli commandos. The Israeli Navy recovered 9mm shell casings of a kind not used by the Israeli commandos, suggesting that the activists had other weapons not seized from the IDF. They were reportedly thrown overboard prior to the Israeli commandos taking complete control of the ship. Israeli commandos also boarded the ship from boats. As the boats approached, activists fired water hoses and threw a box of plates and a stun grenade at them, and beat the hands of soldiers as they climbed on board.

Stun grenades and tear gas were used in an attempt to disperse activists. After this proved ineffective, the commandos requested and received permission to use live ammunition. The commandos then shot activists in the legs, which forced them to disperse. The commandos then advanced towards the bridge while firing at attacking activists. They reached the bridge and took over the ship after 30 minutes.

File:Peace activists throwing an Israeli soldier over board.jpg

Snapshot from IDF footage, showing an Israeli soldier being thrown onto a lower deck.
Source: IDF

The Israeli military released 20 videos of the incident. One video shows how the first commandos to abseil down to the deck were attacked by a mob, and includes a soldier being thrown 30 feet (9.1 m) overboard as well as another being thrown to the lower deck. Other videos show at least one incident in which a stun grenade and fire bomb was thrown at the soldiers, as well activists beating one of the soldiers and trying to kidnap him. Another video, edited from the ship's surveillance footage, is described by the IDF as showing activists preparing for a clash hours before the Israeli Navy made contact with the ship. Another video allegedly shows the first four commandos to abseil onto the deck being attacked by activists with bars, axes and knives. The fourth commando saw his team leader on the deck, with a Turkish activist holding the pistol he had grabbed from him and pointing it to his head. He jumped from the rope and managed to shoot the gun wielding activist, 20 seconds after the first soldier landed on the deck.

According to a preliminary navy investigation, some passengers attempted to take hostage three unconscious commandos by dragging them into one of the passenger halls below. They were held in passenger halls for several minutes until they regained consciousness and managed to join the other soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, echoing other Israeli accounts, said that the events represent a clear case of self-defense of the IDF soldiers.

The Israeli Supreme Court, which rejected several local legal suits against the flotilla raid, wrote in its verdict that "the soldiers were forced to respond in order to defend their lives."

Activists' and flotilla organizers' account

Passenger being treated for head wounds aboard the aid flotilla Source: Iara Lee, Caipirinha Foundation

The wife of the Mavi Marmara captain, Nilüfer Ören, stated that IDF began tracking them after 90 miles (140 km), there were 40 ships surrounding the convoy and the announcement was made while the commandos were boarding from helicopters at 04:45 am. She also said that sound bombs and smoke bombs were used. Therefore activists and crew members used gas masks. Arafat Shoukri, of the Free Gaza Movement (FGM), one the co-organizers of the flotilla convoy, said those on board one ship had called them by telephone to say that Israeli helicopters had arrived. He said that from that moment on, he had witnessed shootings, and afterward people on board shouted 'We are raising the white flag, stop shooting at us'. He called Israeli accounts of activists having pistols and other weapons "cheap propaganda".

According to Mavi Marmara activists and personnel, Israel initially opened fire with warning shots but when the ship didn't stop the attack began. Activists said that sound and smoke bombs were used and then IDF commandos surrounded the ship and boarded from helicopters and from the sea. In contrast with the Israeli account, activists say that Israelis did fire on the boat before boarding.

Robert Mackey of The New York Times suggested that the passengers on the ship may have mistaken the flash grenades and paintball guns for deadly weapons, which enraged them. Espen Goffen, a 38-year-old activist from Norway who sailed aboard the Mavi Marmara, said the Israeli commandos "started off with some kind of paintball bullets with glass in them that left terrible soft tissue wounds. And then rubber bullets. And then live ammunition afterward." According to Kevin Neish, an activist from Canada aboard Mavi Marmara, "soldiers began firing from helicopters above the ship as the raid began."

Activists on board said the resistance was not organized; rather the Israeli helicopters, ships and gunfire "created the atmosphere that people wanted to defend themselves.". On the other hand, activist Espen Goffeng stated that "[t]he defense of the boat was quite well organized".

Bülent Yıldırım, president of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH), reported that photographer Cevdet Kılıçlar was shot in the head by a soldier one meter away. British activist Kevin Ovenden confirmed that a man was shot by soldiers after pointing his camera towards them. Forensic investigation found that Kılıçlar was shot in the head at close range.

Norman Paech, a former member of the German parliament Left Party who was aboard the Marmara said he only saw three activists resisting. "They had no knives, no axes, only sticks that they used to defend themselves," he told reporters. But he said he could "not rule out" that others used weapons somewhere else on the boat.

His suggestion was partially corroborated by Mohamed Beltagy, an Egyptian member of parliament who had also been on the ship. Beltagy stated on the Egyptian television program "10 at Night" that the flotilla participants overtook three Israeli commandos and snatched their weapons from them. His admission of employing force against IDF soldiers was accepted as truthful in Egypt, as evidenced by the heavy criticism of him in the Egyptian media, not for exaggerating or lying, but for granting Israel a "public relations gift."

Writer Edda Manga said five of the activists died directly while the rest died because they were denied medical treatment. Egyptian MP Hazem Farouq, British activist Sarah Colborne, Turkish activist Nilüfer Ören, Al-Jazeera cameraman Issam Zaatar, and Turkish author Sinan Albayrak were also among those who confirmed in their statements that the Israeli soldiers did not allow the critically wounded to receive immediate medical assistance.

Flotilla proponents and Turkish charity group leaders said that since the ships were on international waters, "even if we had used guns", abandoning the non-violence principle would still be legal as self-defense from Israeli "kidnapping" and "piracy". Prof. Mattias Gardell who was on-board stated that the soldiers came on-board with sharp loaded weapons with laser sights and at least four persons were killed execution style.

Due to a communications blackout after the attack, it was initially difficult to get accounts from activists on board. The activists began making statements to the press after they were released and deported. Activist Huwaida Arraf reported that once onboard the Challenger 1, Israeli troops seized all communication equipment, cameras and memory cards from activists.

IHH president Bülent Yıldırım stated that "passengers on the ship showed civil resistance, the press was there, and that the İHH (had) called on the passengers not to allow Israeli soldiers in".

Haneen Zoubi, a Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel who currently serves as a member of the Knesset, said that IDF soldiers refused to offer medical aid to several wounded activists at her request, who died shortly after. She also said that soldiers opened fire before abseiling onto the deck. With her fluent Hebrew she acted as translator between IDF soldiers and the activists, also relaying requests for medical aid, water and the chance to pray.

Kenneth Nichols O'Keefe, a US army veteran, claimed that he and several others took a pistol and assault rifle off of 3 IDF commandos so that they could not be used against them, with him personally emptying the magazine and chamber of one pistol, confirming that they contained live ammunition due to his experience as a US Marine He also claimed to have been beaten, and is shown with a bloodied face and clothes in a video taken by the Anatolia news agency. He had his legally issued Palestinian passport seized by Israeli authorities without being returned. He witnessed 5 of the deaths.

Other boardings

Numerous passengers aboard Challenger 1, Sfendoni, and Free Mediterrenean stated that the soldiers used tasers, plastic bullets, stun grenades, and beat up the passengers.

Israeli minister Avigdor Lieberman disputed this and said, on the other five ships, "the people got off without a scratch."

A report in El Pais said that several people from other ships had also been wounded. Free Gaza organizer Huwaida Arraf, who herself was on the Challenger 1, said that some activists on the other five ships were beaten so severely they were hospitalized.

Sfendoni

Retired diplomat Edward Peck, who was on board the Sfendoni, said that the commandos were well-trained, and behaved reasonably well. The soldiers scuffled with a few activists trying to bar their access to the wheelhouse, but there were no major injuries, Peck said. Paul Larudee, a 64-year-old former linguistics professor from El Cerrito, California onboard the Sfendoni, was beaten and tased according to his family who said that Israeli consular officials informed them that Larudee, a pacifist, was beaten after refusing to follow the orders of troops.

Free Mediterranean

Swedish author Henning Mankell reports that Israeli troops abseiled onto the Free Mediterranean about an hour after the raid on the Mavi Marmara. Michalis Grigoropoulos, who was at the wheel of the ship according to British newspaper The Guardian, said that the Israeli commandos used electric shocks on those who tried to form a human ring on the bridge, and also used tear gas and live ammunition. In an eyewitness account, a reporter for the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that Israeli soldiers approached unarmed civilians with guns drawn and shot a 65 year old person with an electroshock weapon from a distance of ten centimeters. Mankell said soldiers shot "an older man in the crew, he was perhaps a little slow" with an electric gun, and another man with rubber bullets.

Challenger 1

The Challenger 1 accelerated its course in an attempt to allow journalists onboard to broadcast their photos of the ongoing raid. Huwaida Arraf, an American activist who was on the Challenger 1 reported that Israeli soldiers attacked those who tried to block them from taking over the vessel with kicks, tasers, and concussion grenades. She said that the Israelis smashed her face against the ground and stepped on it; later they cuffed her and put a bag over her head. First mate Shane Dillon reported that Israeli troops used stun guns and paintball guns to subdue activists on board, broke the nose of a Belgian woman among them, and beat another passenger. Australian photojournalist Kate Geraghty was attacked and tasered by Israeli troops aboard the Challenger 1, while attempting to photograph the raid.

Post-boarding

Investigation for on-board weapons

File:Weapons on Marmaris.jpg

The IDF recovered various items from the Mavi Marmara; including knives, sticks, metal bars, and other diverse tools, some of which were used as weapons against the IDF by activists on board. Source: IDF

A statement released by the Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel said that violence against the soldiers was pre-planned, and that "light weaponry" was found on the ships, including pistols that would have been seized from IDF commandos. Israel stated that the naval forces "found weapons prepared in advance and used against our forces." IDF photos displayed daggers, kitchen and pocket knives, metal and wooden poles, flares, wrenches and slingshots with marble projectiles said to have been used against the soldiers. The activists were said to have also lobbed stun grenades at IDF soldiers, and the IDF furnished video reflecting this. The IDF later reported that its searches of the ship uncovered a cache of bulletproof vests, night-vision goggles, and gas masks.

An activist said that it would have been impossible to have firearms on board because "all the boats were carefully inspected by the government before they left the port of departure." Turkish officials supported the activists' denials, stating that every passenger that had left Turkey had been searched with X-ray machines and metal detectors before boarding. Senior officials in the Customs Undersecretariat called the Israeli statements tantamount to "complete nonsense". A close-up picture of the same IDF setup of kitchen and other knives (compare pictures) the Jerusalem Post a leading Israeli newspaper presented as array of weapons: "The array of equipment found on board the ships that made up the Gaza aid flotilla was as divergent as the flotilla’s stated aims." A senior military Norwegian officer Palle Ydstebø said that the pictures show no military weapons and many common items found on any boat, but that some of the items are effective battlefield weapons, including types of weapons used in the intifada, and indicate that some activists may have premeditated violence.

On 4 June Walla! reported that a senior, but anonymous, IDF officer, interviewed to Kol Israel radio, said that activists threw weapons and firearms into the sea, and that rifle sights and bullet casings that do not match IDF firearms were found on the ship. Bülent Yıldırım, the head of the IHH which participated in the organization of the flotilla, said activists had rushed some of the soldiers and snatched their weapons, but had thrown them overboard without using them. The Israeli ambassador to Spain, Raphael Schutz, said that Israel had "never said that this flotilla was transporting arms for the Hamas terrorists."

Fate of participants

Following the boardings, Israeli naval forces towed the flotilla's vessels to Ashdod, from where the activists were to be deported. Israel said humanitarian aid confiscated from the ships would be transferred to Gaza, but that it would not transfer banned items such as cement.

At least 32 activists who had been aboard the ships were arrested and incarcerated by the Israel Prisons Service, after they refused to sign deportation orders, including two who were wounded but refused hospital treatment. According to several passengers including Swedish author Henning Mankell, Israel confiscated all their belongings such as money, credit cards, mobile phones, laptops, cameras, and their personal belongings including clothes. They were only allowed to keep papers. Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin described the arrests as "kidnapping" and questioned the logic of bringing the detainees to Israel only to deport them there, instead of giving them "unconditional release".

As of 1 June, Israel was detaining 480 activists captured in the raid at a prison in Ashdod. Reacting to intensifying international criticism of the raid, Israeli officials announced that all 680 activists held would be released, including two dozen Israel had threatened earlier to prosecute charging they had assaulted its troops.

On 1 June, witnesses to the Israeli raid on the flotilla returned to Greece and Turkey, where they provided the first eyewitness accounts. One of them, a Turkish mother whose one-year-old child was on board with her, had agreed to extradition from Israel after she was warned that the prison was "too harsh" for her baby. In the prison – another activist described – they were not allowed to contact lawyers, nor were they allowed to "go to the toilet, eat or drink water" and were videotaped throughout.

As of 1 June 2010, Israel planned to deport all of the foreign detained flotilla passengers within 48 hours of their arrival into Israel. Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi was released on June 1. She has however been subjected to threats within the Knesset such as "[g]o to Gaza, traitor" before being verbally abused and pushed out of the chamber. She has since received multiple death threats by phone and mail and is now under armed protection after nearly 500 people signed up to a Facebook page calling for her execution. She has since replied that "I am not scared," and that "[t]his is inherent here, it is not something that started yesterday. It is just harder and harsher now."

Four other Arab Israelis remained detained: Muhammed Zeidan, Chairman of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel; Sheikh Raed Salah, Head of the Islamic Movement in Israel (northern branch); Sheikh Hamad Abu Daabes, the Head of the Islamic Movement in Israel (southern branch); and Lubna Masarwa of the Free Gaza Movement and Al Quds University. On June 3, the Ashkelon Magistrates' Court accepted an appeal for their release with bail, and the conditions that they remain under house arrest until June 8, and do not leave the country for 45 days.

There have been accusations of the use of violence against detained activists while in Israeli conducted interrogations. One activist said that "[d]uring their interrogation, many of them [activists] were badly beaten in front of us," and that "[t]here was great mistreatment after our arrest." Mattias Gardell also said there was sleep deprivation and that he was beaten several times. They have also said that the treatment they received was different depending on their skin colour, ethnicity and if they had a Muslim sounding name.

Yalcin Buyuk said that 48 others suffered gunshot wounds. He, Ismail Patel and Sarah Colman have also said that six activists are not accounted for, suggesting that the number of casualties may rise. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of Turkey, said that there were not any people missing from the convoy.

Fate of aid cargo

At the same briefing, they said that they found construction equipment, including concrete and metal rods, that is not allowed to enter Gaza. The IDF said that all of the equipment that was on board was examined and that none of it was in shortage in Gaza. On 2 June 2010, some of the aid was loaded onto eight trucks and delivered to Gaza. According to Israeli and Palestinian sources, as of 2 June 2010 Hamas refused to allow the humanitarian aid into Gaza until Israeli authorities released all flotilla detainees and allowed building materials, which are thought to make up the majority, 8,000 of the 10,000 tons of the goods, to reach them. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said, "We are not seeking to fill our (bellies), we are looking to break the Israeli siege on Gaza."

Fate of aid ships

At midday of May 31 20010 IDF towed the ships of aid convoy to coastal Israeli port Ashdod. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen requested "the immediate release of the detained civilians and ships held by Israel."

Casualties

Flotilla participants

Deaths

[[File:Flotilla victim funeral.jpg|thumb|A crowd mourns the victims of the Israeli raid of the Gaza flotilla Source: Associated Press All of those killed had been members or volunteers for the IHH, members of which had been distinguished from other activists involved in the mission by demonstrating willingness to fight. One Turkish-American and eight Turkish participants were shot and killed in the raid. The names and ages of the dead are: Cengiz Alquyz (42), Ali Heyder Bengi (39), İbrahim Bilgen (60), Furkan Doğan (19), Cevdet Kılıçlar (38), Cengiz Songur (47), Çetin Topçuoğlu (54), Sahri Yaldiz, and Necdet Yildirim (32). Among the dead is İbrahim Bilgen, a Turkish politician from the Felicity Party. Furkan Doğan who was among the dead was an American, his father said that he had not thought that he would be killed since he was an American. Doğan was shot five times from less that 45 cm, in the face, in the back of the head, twice in the leg and once in the back according to forensic reports.

Turkish autopsy results showed that all of the 9 people shot died of 9mm gunshot wounds, 5 of them from gunshot wounds to the head. The British newspaper The Guardian reported that the activists were shot 30 times in total, with many of them fired at close range, according to Yalcin Buyuk, vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine which carried out the autopsies. Buyuk said that five of the victims were shot either in the back of the head or in the back. At least four victims were shot from both front and back. "From the analysis of the bullet distance on one of the bodies," Dr. Haluk Ince, the director of Istanbul's Medical Examination Institute, said, "the gun was fired between 2 and 14 centimeters' distance from the victim's head." Yalcin Buyuk said that 48 others suffered gunshot wounds and six activists were still missing.

Injuries

The raid also left dozens wounded. As of 1600h on 31 May, thirty-four activists were hospitalized, nine of them in serious condition. Among the wounded was American activist Paul Larudee, who was beaten and tased according to information provided to his family by the US Consul General and his lawyers. Seven activists remained under treatment in Israeli hospitals on 3 June.

There were reports of scuffles at Ben Gurion International Airport. Ó Luain was injured when a row broke out with Israeli authorities but it is understood he was not seriously hurt. According to the flotilla activist Fintan Lan Ken an Irish-American passenger, was beaten by security officials at Tel Aviv airport before boarding, he had to be hospitalised. Sarah Colborne, a British person who was on the flotilla and has returned home, has disputed Israel's figure of nine dead, and said more are missing.

Follow up

Members of the Turkish Red Crescent, the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey, traveled to Tel Aviv to assist in the return of the dead and wounded. Eight of the activists killed in the raid had a funeral in Istanbul, on 3 June, the last funeral was held in Istanbul on 4 June.

Israeli military

Israeli reports say that 10 soldiers were injured in the clash. As of 4 p.m. on 31 May, eight soldiers were hospitalized, two of them in serious condition, according to Israeli sources. The Israeli military said that two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds, and one soldier sustained a serious head wound and lost consciousness after being tossed from an upper deck by the activists. Channel 2 (Israel) has aired footage of an Israeli Navy sailor being stabbed by one of the Free Gaza activists.

Aftermath

On 31 May Israeli P.M. Netanyahu asked US President Barack Obama to veto any UN Security Council condemnation of Israel, but the president refused. At the UN Security Council, the US did however block demands for an international inquiry into the raid (similar to Richard Goldstone's inquiry into the Gaza war) and the criticism of Israel for violating international law, as proposed by Turkey, the Palestinians, and Arab nations.

Egypt opened its Rafah Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian and medical aid to enter following international criticism of the raid and a call for the border to be opened by Hamas's leader Khaled Meshaal. It is not clear how long it will remain open. According to an Egyptian security source, construction materials such as concrete and steel are still required to be transported via Israel's border crossings.

On 2 June Israel decided to release over 600 of the detained activists.

The Israeli high court rejected the petition to overrule the decision of attorney-general Yehuda Weinstein, to halt the police investigation of this attack.

On 4 June, a Turkish state-run news agency announced that in the next two months a possible court case against Israel will begin, and that the official Turkish autopsy report will serve as an evidence against Israel there.

On June 5, the Israeli government's press division apologized for circulating a link to a video, titled "We Con the World", that mocked activists on board. The film was created by a current columnist for the Jerusalem Post. According to Caroline Glick, the Jerusalem Post columnist who initiated the creation of the satirical video, the video was produced for Latma.tv, an Israeli media satire Web site she edits. The website is an initiative of the Center for Security Policy, a staunchly conservative organization located in Washington.

Reactions

Main article: Reactions to the Gaza flotilla raid

Demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden

Strong international reactions were issued by national authorities, supranational bodies, non-governmental organizations, and religious leaders. Reactions varied from deep concern over the killings to strong condemnations of the Israeli action. The UN Security Council formally condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss of lives" and called for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards. Unofficial responses included widespread civilian protests of the Israeli action, following reports of the deaths. Turkish-Israeli relations have reached a low point after the incident, with Turkey pulling its Ambassador and vowing to review all ties with Israel. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of "state terrorism," while distancing himself from anti-semitism.

Investigation

File:UN Security Council condemns flotilla raid.jpg

The UN Security Council condemned the Israeli raid on the flotilla and demanded an impartial investigation Source: AP

The Israeli government has rejected calls for an international investigation of the raid, and argued that the country is able to conduct a credible review. Internal Israel police investigation was halted by Israel attorney-general Yehuda Weinstein. A group of top Israeli Navy reserves officers has issued a letter backing the call for an independent investigation. Both US President Obama and Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni recommended an independent domestic commission of inquiry to investigate the events with an American observer.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories, has complained that Israel is validating its own account by selectively using the seized video and equipment from reporters on board. FPA also criticized Israel's use of captured material without permission. Journalist Paul McGeough told his consul-general "we were robbed of any electronic equipment that we had" and that "Fairfax will fight this .. I could be back in Israel within two weeks to contest this."

Israeli public radio reported that authorities had banned the media from providing any information about the dead and wounded, and who was taken to hospital in Israel. The censorship order was later lifted.

Legal assessments

Main article: Legal assessments of the Gaza flotilla raid

Many legal assessments regarding the raid were published subsequent to the event. International law experts (and non-lawyers) differed over the legality of the Israeli action.

Some experts offered analysis supporting the legality of the action. Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz, Chicago Law School Professor Eric Posner, and Johns Hopkins international law Professor Ruth Wedgwood, said that the naval blockade and the boarding in international waters were in accord with long-standing international law, and comparable to other blockades in unrelated historical conflicts. Dershowitz and Posner also defend the specific use of force as legal.

Other experts offered analysis questioning the legality of the action. For instance, the National Lawyers Guild International Committee found Israel's actions "manifestly excessive" to the conditions of a lawful blockade; Richard Falk, a former professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University said that the “ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas”; Anthony D'Amato, a professor of international law at Northwestern University School of Law, said that the blockade was illegal because Gaza is an occupied territory.

Both sides generally agreed that Israel was required to respond with only a proportional use of force in the face of violent resistance; whether the force used was proportional was disputed. The UN Human Rights Council condemned Israel and decided to dispatch an independent international fact finding mission to investigate violations of international law. The Turkish state prosecutor's office has opened an investigation. Possible charges, against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, would include murder, injury, attacking Turkish citizens, and piracy.

See also

• Gaza journey of MV Rachel Corrie
• 2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip
• Lifeline 3 A 2009 overland aid convoy through Egypt

References

References with quoted text or translations

External links

• Gaza flotilla raid on Discourse DB (archive of notable opinion items)
• "Gaza Freedom flotilla carried world-renowned names and veteran activists" – The Guardian (lists passengers)
• "Q&A: The Gaza Freedom flotilla" – The Guardian
• Israel attacks Gaza flotilla – live coverage  – The Guardian
• English website of the Israeli Defense Forces

International response

• UN Security Council Condemns Acts Resulting in Civilian Deaths during Israeli Operation, Declaration after the first meeting, 31 May
• Human Rights Council Decides To Dispatch Independent Fact Finding Mission To Investigate Israeli Attack On Humanitarian Boat Convoy, Declaration on 2 June
• Global Condemnation of Israeli Armed Attack on Gaza-Bound Freedom Flotilla – video report by Democracy Now!

Israeli response

• The Gaza flotilla and the maritime blockade of Gaza – Legal background, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Communique from IDF Spokesperson with links to IDF videos, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 31.5.2010
• IDF's YouTube channel's section of the Gaza flotilla raid – videos from IDF footage and ship's security cameras, YouTube

Activist response

• http://www.freegaza.org/
• http://witnessgaza.com/
• http://gazaflotilla.delegitimize.com/
• http://gazaflotillasurvivors.posterous.com/
• Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute - includes photos and details of the dead