Up to 16 people have been killed when Israeli naval commandos boarded aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip, meeting resistance from pro-Palestinian activists, Israel's Channel 10 television said.
The six-ship convoy carrying aid for Palestinians and led by a Turkish vessel with 600 people on board set sail for Gaza from international waters off Cyprus on Sunday in defiance of an Israeli-led blockade of the territory.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, where public radio quoted an unnamed Arab journalist aboard a ship as saying the navy intercepted the activists and that shooting was heard.
Vice premier Silvan Shalom told Israel Radio that Israeli forces would issue a report soon.
"As far as we know IDF (Israeli military) commandos descended on the boat from helicopters and took it over," said Mary Hughes Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Free Gaza Movement, which was behind the convoy.
An Israeli religious medical service, ZAKA, said seven people had been admitted to hospital in Haifa, Israel's main naval base, one of them in a serious condition.
Turkey says it has "strongly protested" against Israel's military action.
"[The interception on the convoy] is unacceptable ... Israel will have to endure the consequences of this behaviour," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said Ankara had called Israel's ambassador to the ministry.
Israeli officials said overnight the navy told the activists by radio to turn back toward Cyprus or head for the Israeli port of Ashdod to unload the 10,000 tonnes of aid, which Israel would then transfer to the Palestinians in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The convoy set off in international waters off Cyprus on Sunday in defiance of an Israeli-led blockade of Gaza.
The flotilla was organised by pro-Palestinian groups and a Turkish human rights organisation.
Turkey had urged Israel to allow it safe passage and said the 10,000 tonnes of aid was humanitarian.
Israel had said it would prevent the convoy from reaching Gaza.
Egypt and Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza after Hamas took over the territory in 2007.
Israel launched a devastating military offensive in Gaza in December 2008 with the aim of halting daily rocket fire towards its cities.
Most of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza rely on aid, blaming Israel for imposing restrictions on the amount and type of goods it allows into the territory.
The United Nations and Western powers have urged Israel to ease its restrictions to prevent a humanitarian crisis. They have been urging Israel to let in concrete and steel to allow for post-war reconstruction.
Israel denies there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying food, medicine and medical equipment are allowed in regularly.
It says the restrictions are necessary to prevent weapons and materials that could be used to make them from reaching Hamas.
Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/31/2914131.htm?section=world
No comments:
Post a Comment