Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet Aid convoy was attacked 65km off the Gaza coast Israeli forces have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships aiming to break the country's siege on Gaza. Up to 16 people were killed and more than 30 people injured when troops stormed the Freedom Flotilla early on Monday, the Israeli Army Radio said. The flotilla was attacked in international waters, 65km off the Gaza coast. Footage from the flotilla's lead vessel, the Mavi Marmara, showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the ship and helicopters flying overhead. Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, on board the Mavi Marmara, said Israeli troops had used live ammunition during the operation. The Israeli Army Radio said soldiers opened fire "after confronting those on board carrying sharp objects". Free Gaza Movement, the organisers of the flotilla, however, said the troops opened fire as soon as they stormed the ships. They also said the ships were now being towed to the Israeli town of Haifa, instead of Ashdod to avoid waiting journalists. Earlier, the Israeli navy had contacted the captain of the Mavi Marmara, asking him to identify himself and say where the ship was headed. Israeli intervention Shortly after, two Israeli naval vessels had flanked the flotilla on either side, but at a distance. Organisers of the flotilla carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid then diverted their ships and slowed down to avoid a confrontation during the night. They also issued all passengers life jackets and asked them to remain below deck. Al Jazeeraâs Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Jerusalem, said the Israeli action was surprising. "All the images being shown from the activists on board those ships show clearly that they were civilians and peaceful in nature, with medical supplies on board. So it will surprise many in the international community to learn what could have possibly led to this type of confrontation," he said. Protests Condemnation has been quick to pour in after the Israeli action. Thousands of Turkish protesters tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul soon after the news of the operation broke. The protesters shouted "Damn Israel" as police blocked them. Turkey is also reported to have summoned the Israeli ambassador to lodge a protest. Meanwhile, Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader in Gaza, has dubbed the Israeli action as "barbaric". Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, including a Nobel laureate and several European legislators, are with the flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza in defiance of an Israeli embargo. But Israel has said it will not allow the flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip and vowed to stop the six ships from reaching the coastal Palestinian territory. The flotilla had set sail from a port in Cyprus on Sunday and aimed to reach Gaza by Monday morning. Israel said the boats were embarking on "an act of provocation" against the Israeli military, rather than providing aid, and that it had issued warrants to prohibit their entrance to Gaza. It asserted that the flotilla would be breaking international law by landing in Gaza, a claim the organisers rejected. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.html
LOL!!!!!!!!!!! What do they need aid for?? I mean, Israel already provides their electricity, water, sewage, most of their healthcare, and about 75% of their jobs. On top of that they are the largest recipients of foreign aid in the world... What more "aid" do they need?? LOL!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I guess they should not break international law the next time they want an "aid shipment"... LOL!!!!! Even though palestinians don't seem to care too much about breaking international law (like the oslo accords, or shooting rockets from schools and hospitals) they have to start learning to respect it some time...
You are either a compulsive liar or delusional. No aid what so ever enters Gaza Mom0 except for the aid that is smuggled through the tunnels via the Egyptian Sinai. As for electricity, due to the Siege that s imposed by Israel, it ended up being the only provider of electricity, and for that, it gets paid from our taxes which the Zionist entity collects from us whereby they charge us three times the international rates. s for the water, the water is within Gaza through the water wells available there. As for the jobs, not even a single worker from Gaza works in the Zionist entity or for a company in the Zionist entity. As for us being the largest recipients, we all know who sucked the American blood dry, we all know who almost bankrupted the Swiss financial system, we all know who is draining Germany to provide to your welfare recipients, which make more than 80 percent of your squatters, in hope they stay in your Zionist shit hole. The aid ships were attacked in international waters by the Zionist pirates. Reports coming in raise the number of dead to 16 and 50 injured. Those killed and injured are citizens from 60 countries, including Greeks, Turkish, Swedes, British, Nobel prize winners, member of Parliaments and others. The Fascist Zionist entity has hammered another nail in its coffin.
Congratulations on your monumental PR victory, Sameeh. Enjoy your moment now, but if you want any type of real improvement towards easing the suffering of the Gazan people, you'll need to end the state of war by ceasing all attacks against Israel. Gaza will be left alone to manage its own affairs the moment you people quit trying to destroy the Jewish State.
Easing?? LOL Rearden. The only easing is when we see all of your leaders in the Hague. Tell me Rearden, yesterday, The Zionists killed 6 civilians and injured 12 in Gaza, what caused such crime? You are a smart man, you are seeing where your state is heading.
I'd say that Israel has really screwed it this time. Not only is it completely immoral but if as reported conducted in international waters, unquestionably illegal. It seems there were a number of European MEPs on the boats. This will play out very badly for Israel. And deservedly so. Hopefully they will be forced to at least reduce the Gaza blockade.
Former Director US Army War College: US Military Knows Israel and US Responsible for 9/11 "What we need to stand up and say is not only did they attack the USS Liberty, they did 9/11. They did it. I have had long conversations over the past two weeks with contacts at the Army War College, at it's headquarters, Marine Corps and I made it absolutely clear in both cases that it is 100 percent certain that 9/11 was a Mossad operation. Period." - Dr. Alan Sabrosky, March 14, 2010 http://www.bigeye.com/sabrosky.htm
The New York Times reported Thursday that a group of five men had set up video cameras aimed at the Twin Towers prior to the attack on Tuesday, and were seen congratulating one another afterwards They turned out to be Mossad agents and were released no questions asked. http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/fiveisraelis.html
Here is video showing a witness who called the police on Dancing Mossad agents cheering when World Trade Center towers were falling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRfhUezbKLw
NumLock, Do you really think you are helping the long suffering citizens of Gaza by replaying far fetched, improbable and unproved conspiracy theories. What is widely known to be fact is quite sufficient basis to condemn Israels actions in Gaza.