9:28am UK, Monday May 31, 2010
'19 Killed As Israel Storms Aid Convoy'
Witnesses said the violence happened when Israeli soldiers boarded a Turkish ship that was leading the six-ship flotilla.
They opened fire after passengers attacked them with axes and knives, said Israeli private channel 10 television.
The Israeli army said at least 10 activists - believed to be Turkish nationals - were among the dead.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu ZuhriWe call on all Arabs and Muslims to rise up in front of Zionist embassies across the whole world.
There were unconfirmed reports that senior Arab Israeli Islamist leader Raed Salah had been severely injured in the clashes.
Turkey warned Israel of "irreparable consequences" following the deaths and said the incident was "unacceptable".
A Foreign Ministry statement said: "We strongly condemn these inhumane practices of Israel.
"This deplorable incident, which took place in open seas and constitutes a fragrant breach of international law, may lead to irreparable consequences in our bilateral relations," it added.
Israel blamed the activists for the violence but expressed regret for the deaths.
"They initiated the violence," Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Sky News.
"We made every possible effort to avoid this incident. The servicemen were given instructions that it was to be a police operation and to use maximum restraint.
Activists aboard one of the flotilla boats prepare for the commando raid
"Unfortunately they were attacked with deadly force by the people on the boats -- with iron bars, knives and live fire."
The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described the deaths as a "massacre".
"What Israel has committed on board the Freedom Flotilla was a massacre," Abbas was quoted as saying by the official Wafa news agency.
Hamas meanwhile urged Arabs and Muslims to "rise up" in front of Israeli embassies across the globe in protest.
An Israeli warship heads out to stop the Gaza-bound aid flotilla
"We call on all Arabs and Muslims to rise up in front of Zionist embassies across the whole world," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, using the Arabic word 'intifada'.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton called for a "full inquiry" into the raid
Greece summoned Israel's ambassador to demand an "immediate" report on the safety of about 30 Greeks on board one of the ships.
France and Sweden condemned the raid as "unjustifiable" and "unacceptable".
The bloodshed came on the eve of a meeting in Washington between Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Flag-waving Palestinians await the flotilla in Gaza port before the ship raid
Sky's Middle East correspondent Dominic Waghorn said: "There already was much debate in Israel about the wisdom of blocking this flotilla from a PR point of view.
"Israel will defend this action by saying it is in a state of war with Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip and therefore can block anything moving into and out of the area.
"But whatever the legalities storming an aid armada with commandos was never going to look good for Israel.
"Israel calls this a provocation flotilla. It insists it gave its organisers plenty of opprortunities to land their aid in Israel and have it transferred overland.
"Israel believes its blockade of Gaza is weakening Hamas and they are determined to prevent the embargo being lifted by sea."
http://news.sky.com / Bulgaria Today
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