The FINANCIAL — According to RIA Novosti, The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned on May 31 the storming by Israeli commandos of international ships carrying humanitarian aid to the occupied Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army's press service said more than 10 people had been killed and four Israeli commandos had been injured when the Israeli military stormed the six-ship Freedom Flotilla carrying some 10,000 tons of aid to Gaza and 600 human rights activists.
Al Jazeera earlier quoted Israeli Army Radio as saying 16 people had been killed and more than 30 injured.
"Israel will be punished for the consequences of its actions. What has happened is unacceptable," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We decisively condemn it [Israel] and demand immediate explanations."
The Free Gaza Movement reported on the Twitter microblogging site that the Israeli commandos dropped from a helicopter onto the deck of the Turkish ship and immediately opened fire on unarmed civilians.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the attack a "gross violation of international law" and said it could lead to "unpredictable consequences" in relations between Turkey and Israel.
The six-ship Freedom Flotilla carrying some 10,000 tons of aid to Gaza and 600 human rights activists left international waters off Cyprus's coast on Sunday and was expected to arrive in Gaza on May 31.
The flotilla was reportedly attacked in international waters about 150 km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.
"The Israel Defense Forces are carrying out the government's order prohibiting unsanctioned access to this zone," an Israeli army spokesman told RIA Novosti.
The Free Gaza Movement said crowds of Turkish protesters tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul in protest.
Israel, which has enforced an almost constant blockade against Gaza since the radical Islamic group Hamas took control of the enclave in summer 2007, earlier called the mission a "provocation" and threatened to intercept the ships and deport those aboard.
Discussion about this post