Turkish investigators board aid ship raided by Israeli forces
World
Turkish investigators board aid ship raided by Israeli forces
As part of their ongoing investigations Turkish prosecutors and crime police on Tuesday boarded ships that were part of an aid flotilla raided by Israeli two months ago. The May 31 raid occurred in international waters off the coast of Israel after the six-vessel flotilla bringing aid to Gaza ignored several Israeli warnings not to continue its course to Gaza, which is sealed off by an Israeli naval blockade. Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists after boarding the flotilla's lead ship, the 'Mavi Marmara'. Israel says its commandos used live fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and gunfire by activists who it says were clearly prepared for violence. Israel made video recordings of the fighting on deck. Israel initially impounded Mavi Marmara and two other ships of the international aid flotilla, the Defne-Y and the Gazze. Later the vessels were released before being returned to the Turkish port of Iskenderun on August 7. The aid vessels are to be examined by both Turkish and United Nations authorities as part of ongoing inquiries into the flotilla raid. Insurance experts will also examine the vessels to assess the damage. After the raid Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel, cancelled joint military operations and barred Israeli military aircraft from Turkish airspace after the incident. Turkey wants Israel to apologise for its botched and deadly raid and offer compensation for the victims. The raid sparked international criticism which pushed Israel to ease restrictions of its Gaza blockade.
