[THS] !!!!!!!!! Al Jazeera - Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet - 15 Killed

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.html

Israel attacks Gaza aid fleet

[video]
Al Jazeera's report on board the Mavi Marmara before communications were cut

Israeli forces have attacked a flotilla of aid-carrying ships aiming to break the
country's siege on Gaza.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when troops intercepted the convoy
of ships dubbed the Freedom Flotilla early on Monday, the Israeli military 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.

  	Aftermath of Israel's attack on Gaza flotilla

The Israeli military said four soldiers had been wounded and claimed troops opened
fire after "demonstrators onboard attacked the IDF Naval personnel with live fire and
light weaponry including knives and clubs".

Free Gaza Movement, the organisers of the flotilla, however, said the troops opened
fire as soon as they stormed the convoy.

Our correspondent said that a white surrender flag was raised from the ship and
there was no live fire coming from the passengers.

Before losing communication with our correspondent, a voice in Hebrew was clearly
heard saying: "Everyone shut up".

Israeli intervention

Earlier, the Israeli navy had contacted the captain of the Mavi Marmara, asking him
to identify himself and say where the ship was headed.

IN DEPTH [at url above]
  	Focus: On board the Freedom Flotilla
  	Focus: 'The future of Palestine'
  	Outrage over Israel attack
  	Tensions rise over Gaza aid fleet
  	'Fighting to break Gaza siege'
  	Aid convoy sets off for Gaza
  	Programmes: Born in Gaza
  	Video: Israel's Gaza PR offensive
  	Video: Gazan's rare family reunion abroad
  	Video: Making the most of Gaza's woes

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 Jazeera’s 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.

Meanwhile, Israeli police have been put on a heightened state of alert across the
country to prevent any civil disturbances.

Sheikh Raed Salah, a leading member of the Islamic Movement who was on board
the ship, was reported to have been seriously injured. He was being treated in
Israel's Tal Hasharon hospital.

In Um Al Faham, the stronghold of the Islamic movement in Israel and the birth
place of Salah, preparations for mass demonstrations were under way.

Protests

Condemnation has been quick to pour in after the Israeli action.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, officially declared a three-day state of
mourning over Monday's deaths.

Turkey, Spain, Greece, Denmark and Sweden have all summoned the Israeli
ambassador's in their respective countries to protest against the deadly assault.
Worldwide outrage has followed the deadly Israeli attack of Gaza aid convoy [AFP]

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.

"(The interception on the convoy) is unacceptable ... Israel will have to endure the
consequences of this behaviour," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader in Gaza, has also dubbed the Israeli action as
"barbaric".

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, including a Nobel laureate and several
European legislators, were with the flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza in defiance of an
Israeli embargo.

But Israel had said it would 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.