Gaza flotilla raid: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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| conflict = Gaza flotilla raid

| place = Mediterranean Sea

| partof = the [[Blockade of the Gaza Strip]]

| image = Gaza flotilla raid map.svg

| caption = Routes of the Gaza-bound flotilla (green) and the [[Israeli Navy]] (orange)

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The '''Gaza flotilla raid''' was a military operation by Israel against [[Ships of Gaza flotilla raid|six civilian ships]] of the "[[Gaza Freedom Flotilla]]" on 31 May 2010 in [[international waters]] in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine ~~activists~~of the flotilla passengers were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded (including one who later died of his wounds).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chebil |first1=Medhi |title=Repatriated flotilla activists challenge Israeli version of deadly raid |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20100601-repatriated-flotilla-activists-challenge-israeli-version-deadly-raid-israel-gaza |website=France24.com |date=June 2010 |publisher=France 24 |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |title=Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-activists-autopsy-results |website=The Guardian |date=4 June 2010}}</ref> Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence.<ref>Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."</ref> The [[flotilla]], organized by the [[Free Gaza Movement]] and the Turkish [[IHH (Turkish NGO)|Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH)]], was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, intending to break the Israeli naval [[2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade of the Gaza Strip]].▼

OnThe Israeli Navy warned the flotilla via radio to stop approaching the naval blockade and to change course to the [[port of Ashdod]]. This request was denied and on 31 May 2010, Israeli [[Shayetet 13]] naval commandos boarded the ships in international waters from speedboats{{sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|p=19}} and helicopters ~~in order to force the ships to the Israeli [[port of Ashdod]] for inspection~~. OnAboard the Turkish ship [[MV Mavi Marmara|MV ''Mavi Marmara''~~]], according to the Israel's own [[Turkel Commission~~]], the Israeli Navy faced resistance from about 40 of the 590 passengers, including IHH activists – described in the commission's report as a separate "hardcore group"<ref name="Guardian 2-6-10">{{cite news |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |date=2 June 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/02/flotilla-raid-turkish-jihadis-troops-israel-claims |title= Flotilla raid: Turkish jihadis bent on violence attacked troops, Israel claims |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref><ref name="hardcore"/> – who were said to be armed with iron bars and knives.{{Sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|pp=54–61}} According to flotilla organizer [[Greta Berlin]], the Israeli soldiers did not start firing until an activist seized a gun from one of them.<ref name="TOI 201803">{{cite web | last=Philpot | first=Robert | title=Free Gaza spox admits activist initiated fatal 2010 violence aboard Mavi Marmara | website=The Times of Israel | date=2018-03-13 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/free-gaza-spox-admits-activist-initiated-fatal-2010-violence-aboard-mavi-marmara/ | access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> During the struggle, [[#Casualties|nine]] activists were killed, including eight [[Turkish people|Turkish nationals]] and one [[Turkish American]], and many were wounded. On 23 May 2014, a tenth member of the flotilla died in hospital after being in a coma for four years.<ref name="imemc.org">{{cite news |title=Turkish Man Dies of Wounds Sustained During Israel's Attack on Solidarity Ship |date=24 May 2014 |author=Saed Bannoura |publisher=IMEMC News |url=http://www.imemc.org/article/67911 |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Ten of the commandos were also wounded, one of them seriously.{{Sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|pp=54–61}}<ref name ="NYT-201005">{{cite news |last=Kershner |first=Isabel |date=31 May 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01flotilla.html |title=Deadly Israeli raid draws condemnation |work=The New York Times |access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref>▼

▲The '''Gaza flotilla raid''' was a military operation by Israel against [[Ships of Gaza flotilla raid|six civilian ships]] of the "[[Gaza Freedom Flotilla]]" on 31 May 2010 in [[international waters]] in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine activists were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded (including one who later died of his wounds).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chebil |first1=Medhi |title=Repatriated flotilla activists challenge Israeli version of deadly raid |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20100601-repatriated-flotilla-activists-challenge-israeli-version-deadly-raid-israel-gaza |website=France24.com |publisher=France 24 |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Booth |first1=Robert |title=Gaza flotilla activists were shot in head at close range |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-activists-autopsy-results |website=The Guardian |date=4 June 2010}}</ref> Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence.<ref>Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."</ref> The [[flotilla]], organized by the [[Free Gaza Movement]] and the Turkish [[IHH (Turkish NGO)|Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH)]], was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, intending to break the Israeli [[2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade of the Gaza Strip]].

▲On 31 May 2010, Israeli [[Shayetet 13]] naval commandos boarded the ships from speedboats{{sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|p=19}} and helicopters in order to force the ships to the Israeli [[port of Ashdod]] for inspection. On the Turkish ship [[MV Mavi Marmara|MV ''Mavi Marmara'']], according to the Israel's own [[Turkel Commission]], the Israeli Navy faced resistance from about 40 of the 590 passengers, including IHH activists – described in the commission's report as a separate "hardcore group"<ref name="Guardian 2-6-10">{{cite news |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |date=2 June 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/02/flotilla-raid-turkish-jihadis-troops-israel-claims |title= Flotilla raid: Turkish jihadis bent on violence attacked troops, Israel claims |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref><ref name="hardcore"/> – who were said to be armed with iron bars and knives.{{Sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|pp=54–61}} According to flotilla organizer [[Greta Berlin]], the Israeli soldiers did not start firing until an activist seized a gun from one of them.<ref name="TOI 201803">{{cite web | last=Philpot | first=Robert | title=Free Gaza spox admits activist initiated fatal 2010 violence aboard Mavi Marmara | website=The Times of Israel | date=2018-03-13 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/free-gaza-spox-admits-activist-initiated-fatal-2010-violence-aboard-mavi-marmara/ | access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> During the struggle, [[#Casualties|nine]] activists were killed, including eight [[Turkish people|Turkish nationals]] and one [[Turkish American]], and many were wounded. On 23 May 2014, a tenth member of the flotilla died in hospital after being in a coma for four years.<ref name="imemc.org">{{cite news |title=Turkish Man Dies of Wounds Sustained During Israel's Attack on Solidarity Ship |date=24 May 2014 |author=Saed Bannoura |publisher=IMEMC News |url=http://www.imemc.org/article/67911 |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> Ten of the commandos were also wounded, one of them seriously.{{Sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|pp=54–61}}<ref name ="NYT-201005">{{cite news |last=Kershner |first=Isabel |date=31 May 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/world/middleeast/01flotilla.html |title=Deadly Israeli raid draws condemnation |work=The New York Times |access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref>

According to a UN report, all activist deaths were caused by gunshots, and "the circumstances of the killing of at least six of the passengers were in a manner consistent with an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary execution."<ref name="www2.ohchr.org">{{cite web |title= Report of the international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance |publisher=United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council |date=27 September 2010 |url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/15session/A.HRC.15.21_en.pdf |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Robert Booth |author2=Harriet Sherwood |author3=Justin Vela |title=Gaza flotilla attack: Autopsies reveal intensity of Israeli military force |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 June 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/04/gaza-flotilla-attack-autopsy-results |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> The five other ships in the flotilla employed [[passive resistance]], which was suppressed without major incident. According to the UN report, several of the passengers were injured and the leg of one was fractured.<ref name="www2.ohchr.org" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Gaza flotilla raid: 'We heard gunfire – then our ship turned into lake of blood' |author=Robert Booth |author2=Kate Connolly |author3=Tom Philips |author4=Helena Smith |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 June 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/02/gaza-flotilla-raid-gunfire-ship-blood |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> The ships were towed to Israel. Some passengers were deported immediately, while about 600 were detained after they refused to sign deportation orders; a few of them were slated for prosecution. After international criticism, all of the detained activists were also deported.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kosharek|first1=Noah|last2=DPA|last3=Ravid|first3=Barak|last4=Kyzer|first4=Liel|title=Israel transfers hundreds of Gaza flotilla activists to airport for deportation|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-transfers-hundreds-of-gaza-flotilla-activists-to-airport-for-deportation-1.293634|work=Haaretz|agency=Associated Press|date=1 June 2010|quote="The decision to deport the hundreds of foreign activists was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided late Tuesday, in the face of mounting world criticism of Monday's assault"}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gaza flotilla activists back in Turkey|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gaza-flotilla-activists-back-in-turkey-1.933602|access-date=26 August 2014|publisher=CBC News|date=3 June 2010|quote=""Israel had said it will not prosecute dozens of activists detained in the raid, opting instead to deport them all immediately in an apparent effort to limit the diplomatic damage from the raid."}}</ref>

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There were several probes into the incident. A [[UNHRC]] report in September 2010 into the incident deemed the blockade illegal and stated that Israel's actions were "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality", with evidence of "wilful killing". [[United Nations Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] announced a parallel probe in August 2010 by a four-member panel headed by [[Geoffrey Palmer (politician)|Geoffrey Palmer]]. The Palmer report was published on 2 September 2011 after being delayed, reportedly to allow Israel and Turkey to continue reconciliation talks. The report found that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal, and that there were "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH".<ref name=UNpanel5experts>{{cite news|title=U.N. experts say Israel's blockade of Gaza illegal|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-gaza-rights-idUSTRE78C59R20110913|access-date=10 August 2014|work=Reuters|date=13 September 2011}}</ref>{{sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|p=4}} The report also found that the degree of force used against the ''Mavi Marmara'' was "excessive and unreasonable",<ref name="Buchan">{{cite news |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8490275|title=The Palmer Report and the Legality of Israel's Naval Blockade of Gaza|last=Buchan|first=Russel|work=International and Comparative Law Quarterly}}</ref> and that the way Israel treated detained crew members violated international human rights law.<ref name="Buchan"/>

Israel has offered Turkey $20  million in compensation for the raid.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.572069 Israel offers Turkey $20m in compensation over Gaza flotilla raid] Haaretz Retrieved 26 August 2013</ref> On 22 March 2013, in a half-hour telephone exchange between Israel's Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] and Turkey's Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], the former apologized on behalf of his nation; Erdoğan accepted the apology and both agreed to enter into further discussions.<ref name="bbc220313"/><ref name="CNN220313"/> On 29 June 2016, the agreement was finalized and approved by the Israeli government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/06/29/israeli-ministers-officially-approve-reconciliation-deal-with-turkey/|title=Israeli Ministers Officially Approve Reconciliation Deal with Turkey|last=Reynold|first=Nick|website=Algemeiner.com|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref>

==History==

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Five shipments had been allowed through prior to the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|2008–09 Gaza War]], but all shipments following the war were blocked by Israel.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demirjian |first=Karoun |date=28 May 2010 |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011964191_apmlisraelshipstogaza.html |title=Israeli commandos to block Gaza activists |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |access-date=3 October 2011}}</ref> This flotilla was the largest to date. An Islamic aid group from Turkey, the [[İHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı)]] (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) sponsored a large passenger ship and two cargo ships.

On 22 March 2013 Netanyahu apologised for the incident in a 30-minute telephone call with Erdoğan, stating that the results were unintended; the Turkish prime minister accepted the apology and agreed to enter into discussions to resolve the compensation issue.<ref name="bbc220313"/><ref name="CNN220313" /> Following the telephone apology, Israel's [[Channel 10 (Israel)|Channel 10]] television channel reported that compensation talks had commenced; however, a disparity became immediately apparent, as Turkey sought $1  million for each of the flotilla deaths, while Israel's response was $100,000.

{{Asof|2013|03|27}}, an agreement was made between the two nations in regard to three points:

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[[File:Mavi Marmara side.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of white cruiser yacht, adorned with banners of Turkey and Palestine|The [[MV Mavi Marmara|MV ''Mavi Marmara'']]]]

The [[Gaza Freedom Flotilla]], organized by the [[Free Gaza Movement]] and the Turkish [[IHH (Turkish NGO)|Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief]] (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, with the intention of breaking the Israeli~~-Egyptian~~ naval [[2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade of the Gaza Strip]].<ref name="FT Attack">{{Cite news |last1=Buck|first1=Tobias|last2=Dombey|first2=Daniel|last3=Strauss|first3=Delphine|work=Financial Times|title=Israel condemned after flotilla attack|date=31 May 2010|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b09c57f6-6c80-11df-91c8-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss|access-date=24 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="ibhsguardqa53">{{Cite news |first=Ian |last=Black |date=31 May 2010 |author2=Haroon Siddique |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/31/q-a-gaza-freedom-flotilla |title=Q&A: The Gaza Freedom flotilla |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=2 June 2010 }}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost1"/>

Three of the flotilla ships carried only [[#Passengers|passengers]] and their personal belongings. Whereas in previous voyages, Free Gaza vessels carried 140 passengers in total, in this flotilla, over 600 activists were on board the ''Mavi Marmara'' alone.<ref name="IHH Defiant Note"/>

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Three other ships carried [[#Cargo|cargo]]: 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, with an estimated value of $20 million. Reports disagree about the presence and quantity of paramilitary equipment.<ref name="bbc-faq"/>

For the [[#Initial leg|initial leg]] of the voyage, six of the eight ships set out on 30 May 2010 from international waters off the coast of [[Cyprus]];<ref name="haaretz-at least"/> the remaining two were delayed by mechanical problems.<ref name="businessday-israel processes">{{Cite news |url=http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=110502|title=4 Turks dead on aid ship|work=Business Day|location=South Africa|date=1 June 2010|access-date=3 June 2010}}</ref> The ship was not allowed to sail in Cypriot government controlled territorial waters and in the end departed from the illegal [[Port of Famagusta]], in occupied [[Northern Cyprus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caucaso |first=Osservatorio Balcani e |title=Cyprus' Plan for a Maritime Humanitarian Aid Corridor to Gaza |url=https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Cyprus/Cyprus-Plan-for-a-Maritime-Humanitarian-Aid-Corridor-to-Gaza-228444 |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=OBC Transeuropa |language=it |quote=Haritos describes how the then President of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, whose AKEL communist party’s stance toward the Arab-Israeli conflict was and continues to be openly pro-Palestinian, decided not to allow the Mavi Marmara flotilla to enter Cypriot territorial waters at the moment when the Turkish ship was about to enter the port of Famagusta (a port which is under the de facto control of ‘TRNC’, yet considered a ‘closed port’ for the Republic of Cyprus, therefore illegal).}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-05-29 |title=Gaza-bound aid ships are 'tampered with' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20100529-israel-palestinian-conflict-aid-flotilla-sail-break-gaza-blockade |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=Humanitarian diplomacy and its risks {{!}} eKathimerini.com |url=https://www.ekathimerini.com/opinion/1224079/humanitarian-diplomacy-and-its-risks/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=www.ekathimerini.com |language=English |quote=The then AKEL government and its president Demetris Christofias, despite its pro-Palestinian ideological origins, prohibited the passage of the Turkish flotilla through Cypriot national waters. The reason, although never officially explained, was simple: The Mavi Marmara’s route, carefully planned by Ankara, indicated that the flotilla’s last stop before reaching Gaza would be the Turkish-occupied port of Famagusta. In Turkey’s diplomatic view, the symbolism was obvious: “Just as the Greek Cypriots enforce the international isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), that is exactly how the Israelis isolate the Palestinians of Gaza.” The departure of the flotilla from the blockaded port of Famagusta to the blockaded port of Gaza would demonstrate the solidarity of the tested “Turkish-Cypriot people” to the correspondingly tested Palestinians.}}</ref>

===Pre-raid sabotage rumors===

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According to UPI press coverage, the officer alluded to "grey operations" against the flotilla and said that no such action had been taken against the Mavi Marmara out of fear that the vessel might be stranded in the middle of the sea, endangering the people on board.<ref name="UPI Tamper"/><ref name="Haaretz Burden"/> Israel was accused of sabotaging activist ships in the past but no evidence has been found to back up these claims.<ref name="UPI Tamper"/>

Three ships – the ''Rachel Corrie'', the ''Challenger  I'' and the ''Challenger  II'' – suffered damage or malfunction. While the ''Challenger  I'' was able to continue, the ''Challenger  II'' had to turn back halfway through the journey and ''Rachel Corrie'' docked for repairs in [[Malta]]. [[Greta Berlin]] of the Free Gaza Movement said that electric wires may have been tampered with.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 June 2010 |title=Israel releases last of activists seized on aid ships |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article444828.ece |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |agency=Deutsche Presse-Agentur |access-date=5 October 2011}}</ref>

===Ships===

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A few minutes after 9:00 pm, [[Sa'ar 5-class corvette]]s [[INS Lahav|INS ''Lahav'']] and [[INS Hanit|INS ''Hanit'']], and the [[Sa'ar 4-class missile boat]] INS ''Nitzachon'' left [[Haifa]] naval base to intercept the flotilla. The three warships had speedboats, [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|UH-60 Black Hawk]] helicopters, and 71 [[Shayetet 13]] commandos on board. The [[Israeli Navy]] made initial contact with the flotilla at 11 p.m. (2000 UTC) on 30 May, about {{convert|120|mi|km}} northwest of Gaza, {{convert|80|mi|km}} off the coast of southern [[Lebanon]], in [[international waters]], ordering the ships to follow them to port or otherwise be boarded.<ref name="bbc-faq" /><ref name="Katz">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=176955 |title=Gaza flotilla changes course |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=31 May 2010|date=31 May 2010|author=Yaakov Katz}}</ref><ref name="haaretz-israel tows">{{cite news |title=Israel tows Gaza aid ships to Ashdod after 10 activists killed in clashes with navy|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-tows-gaza-aid-ships-to-ashdod-after-10-activists-killed-in-clashes-with-navy-1.293089|date=31 May 2010|work=Haaretz}}</ref>

The Shayetet 13 commandos who participated in the operation underwent a month of training prior to the operation, including dummy takeovers of a ship at sea with fifty soldiers performing the role of activists. ~~The Israeli Navy said that the soldiers were trained for "a [[Bil'in]]-type opposition".<ref name="Harel-2010"/>~~ [[Ron Ben-Yishai]], a veteran Israeli correspondent aboard the Israeli missile boat ''INS Nitzachon'', reported that the assessment was that the passengers would show "light resistance and possibly minor violence". The soldiers were armed with paintball guns,<ref name="CNN Autopsies"/> stun grenades, tasers, and pistols as sidearms, which were attached to their backs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Amichai |first=Rami |date=30 May 2010 |title=Israeli commandos describe Gaza raid |work=National Post |agency=Reuters |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=3092125 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100605090753/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=3092125 |archive-date=5 June 2010}}</ref>

The soldiers had orders to confront protesters and peacefully convince them to give up, and if not successful, to use non-lethal force to commandeer the ship. They were instructed to use their sidearms only in an emergency when their lives were at risk.<ref name="Katz they came"/>{{Sfn|Meir Amit report|2010|p=14}}

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Five days after the raid, IDF released an audio recording purporting to be of a radio exchange between the Israeli Navy and the flotilla. After Israeli warnings that the ships were approaching a [[naval blockade|blockade]], voices responded "Go back to [[Auschwitz]]!" and "Don't forget [[11 September attacks|9/11]]". Denis Healey, the captain of ''Challenger I'', and activist [[Huwaida Arraf]] who was on the bridge of the ship, disputed the authenticity of the recording. Israel conceded that it was impossible to trace who made the comments, or from which ship because they were made on an open channel.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Jerusalem Post |author=Yaakov Lappin |date=5 June 2010|title=Gaza flotilla: Go back to Auschwitz |url=http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177566}}</ref><ref>[[Free Gaza]] press release: [http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/1217-idf-admits-it-doctored-the-audio-tapes IDF Admits It Doctored the Audio Tapes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608063952/http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/press-releases/1217-idf-admits-it-doctored-the-audio-tapes |date=8 June 2010 }}</ref> An Israeli journalist who was on board an IDF ship confirmed the IDF accounts.<ref group="text" name="WallaBreiner1June">{{cite news |last=Breiner |first=Joshua |url=http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/2689/1681175 |title= מיוחד – כתב וואלה! עם כוחות השייטת בלב ים |trans-title=Special: Walla! Reporter With Navy Forces on the High Seas |publisher=[[Walla!]] |language=he |date=1 June 2010 |access-date=10 June 2011 |quote={{lang|he|על התדר הפתוח, יכלו כל ספינות המשט לשמוע את האזהרות. והן גם דאגו להחזיר. 'תחזרו לאושוויץ', ענתה ספינה אחת, אחרת השיבה ב'ג'יהאד, ג'יהאד, ג'יהאד'. המפגש האלים היה בלתי נמנע.}} [On the open channel, all the flotilla ships could hear the warnings. They also took care to reply. 'Go back to Auschwitz', answered one ship, and another responded, 'Jihad, jihad, jihad'. The violent clash was inevitable.]}}</ref>

Hours before the raid, the head of the İHH, [[Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım]], declared, "We're going to defeat the Israeli ~~commandos–we~~commandos – we're declaring it now. If you bring your soldiers here, we will throw you off the ship and you'll be humiliated in front of the whole world." Later, according to the crew, a group of about 40 İHH activists took over the ship.<ref name="DeathInTheMed"/>

The [[Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center]] (ITIC), an Israeli non-governmental organization that, according to ''[[Haaretz]]'', is "widely seen as an unofficial branch of Israel's intelligence community",<ref name="h20100531"/> said that, based on laptop files and passenger testimony, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had prior knowledge that the activists on the flotilla would use violence. In addition, the ITIC said a group of 40 "militant" activists boarded before the rest of the passengers, were not searched as they boarded, and that [[İHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı)|İHH]] President [[Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım]] had briefed this group with a mission of keeping Israelis from taking control of the ship.<ref name="h20100531">{{cite news |last=Pfeffer |first=Anshel |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/probe-erdogan-knew-gaza-flotilla-would-be-violent-1.295144 |title=Probe: Erdogan knew Gaza flotilla would be violent|work=Haaretz |location=Israel |date=31 May 2010 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/israel-points-finger-at-turkish-pm/story-e6frg6so-1225878143687 |title=Israel points finger at Turkish PM |work=The Australian |date=11 June 2010 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref>

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The IDF identified a group of some 50 men who were responsible for attacking IDF soldiers. The members of this group were not carrying identity cards or passports, but each carried an envelope with some $10,000 in cash. The Israeli defense establishment suspected that the funding may have come from elements in the Turkish government. One member of the group, who was identified as its ringleader, travelled to [[Bursa]] to recruit members. The members were stationed in groups throughout the ship, mostly on the upper deck, and communicated with each other via walkie-talkies. The members were well-trained and equipped with gas masks and bulletproof vests.<ref name="mercenaries">{{cite news |last=Efune |first=Dovid |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177452 |title=IDF: Mercenaries to blame for violence |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=2 March 2012}}</ref>

The ''Mavi ~~Maramara~~Marmara'' activists were divided into two groups, "peace activists" and a "hardcore group".{{sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|p=30}}<ref name="hardcore"/> Video footage shows the "hardcore group" activists prepared before the raid, praying together while wearing uniforms, taking their gas masks and makeshift weapons, and getting into position.{{CN|date=April 2023}} Activists dressed in protective clothing from construction materials.{{CN|date=April 2023}}

===''Mavi Marmara'' boarding===

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The boarding of the ''[[MV Mavi Marmara|Mavi Marmara]]'' started in the early morning at 4:30 [[Israel Standard Time|IST]]. The operation began with an attempt to board the ship from speedboats. As the boats approached, activists fired water hoses at them and pelted them with a variety of objects. The Israelis replied with paintballs and stun grenades. One stun grenade was picked up and tossed back into a boat. When the commandos tried boarding the ship, activists cut the ladders with electric disc saws. The boats then turned slightly away from the ship, but remained close.<ref name="DeathInTheMed"/>

The IDF then sent in a [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk#Israel|Black Hawk helicopter]] with a 15-man assault team on board.<ref name="DeathInTheMed"/><ref name="BBC_Shoukri">{{Cite news |title=Israeli PM 'regrets' deaths as troops storm aid ships |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10199480.stm |publisher=BBC | date=31 May 2010}}</ref> According to the IDF, the commandos fired warning shots and dropped stun grenades prior to [[abseil]]ing onto the ship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Yaakov |date=4 June 2010 |title=We had no choice |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177445 |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref> The UNHRC report on the incident concluded that the Israeli soldiers were firing live rounds from the helicopter before they landed anyone on the ship.{{Sfn|UNHRC report|2010|p=26}} According to flotilla organizer [[Greta Berlin]], who was not aboard the ship, the Israeli soldiers did not start firing until an activist seized a gun from one of them.<ref name="TOI 201803">{{cite web | last=Philpot | first=Robert | title=Free Gaza spox admits activist initiated fatal 2010 violence aboard Mavi Marmara | website=The Times of Israel | date=2018-03-13 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/free-gaza-spox-admits-activist-initiated-fatal-2010-violence-aboard-mavi-marmara/ | access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> Passengers reported gunfire, blue flares and deafening noise from the first helicopter at this time.<ref name="detailsem">{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Matti |date=2 June 2010 |title=Details emerge of bloodshed aboard Gaza-bound ship |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100602/ml-israel-raid-reconstruction/ |newspaper=HuffPost|agency=Associated Press |access-date=9 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="GuardianZoubi">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10208027 |work=BBC News |title=Witnesses cast doubt on Israel's convoy raid account |date=1 June 2010}}</ref>

[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] journalist [[Jamal Elshayyal]] stated that he saw one man shot in the head and others wounded.<ref name="aljazeera-20100603"/> Robert Mackey of ''[[The New York Times]]'' suggested that the passengers on the ship may have mistaken flash grenades and paintball guns for deadly weapons, which enraged them.<ref name="NYT Mock">{{Cite news |last=Mackey |first=Robert |work=The New York Times |title=Israelis Explain, and Mock, Flotilla Clash |date=4 June 2010 |url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/israelis-explain-and-mock-flotilla-clash/|access-date=8 June 2010}}</ref> Activists and crew members used [[gas mask]]s.<ref group="text">{{cite web |last=Yağcı |first=Cahide Hayrunnisa |date=1 June 2010 |url=http://www.timeturk.com/israil-yaralilara-mudaheleye-izin-vermedi_127607-haberi.html |title=İsrail yaralılara müdaheleye izin vermedi! |language=tr |trans-title=Israel did not allow attention to the wounded! |publisher=Timeturk |access-date=4 June 2010 |quote={{lang|tr|O sırada gaz maskelerimizi ve şişme yeleklerimizi takmamızı ilan ettiler.}} [At that moment they announced that we should put on our gas masks and the life jackets.]}}</ref>

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Although radical activists attempted to harm them further, more moderate passengers intervened and protected the soldiers.{{Sfn|Meir Amit report|2010|pp=3, 7 (see footnote), 20}} Two were given water and one with a severe stomach wound was given a gauze pad. Hasan Huseyin Uysal, a Turkish doctor, cleaned the blood off their faces and tended to facial cuts.<ref name="ynetnews1"/>

[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Passengers Use Violence on the Mavi Marmara.jpg|thumb|Activists throw back a stun grenade into an IDF speedboat, which was earlier thrown on to the ''Mavi Marmara.'']]

Israel and the flotilla activists disagreed over whether guns seized from the captive soldiers were used by the activists.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/appeals/esc_bulletins/2011/death_in_med.pdf |title=Finding of the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust – Panorama:Death in the Med |page=48}}. Ken O'Keefe, one of the activists, said "What I do know for sure is that I had one of their guns.... And if I wanted to use that gun I could easily have used it.... But I didn't do that and I did not see anybody from IHH use a weapon. If we wanted to we could have used weapons and killed some of their soldiers. That is a fact."</ref> Commandos reported that at least two of the captive soldiers had their sidearms wrested away, and that there was live fire against them at a later stage.<ref name="cnn israeli version">{{Cite news |title=Israeli military gives version of flotilla incident|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/31/gaza.flotilla.israeli.raid/|publisher=CNN | date=31 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ynet |date=31 May 2010 |title=IDF chief: No connection between Gaza sail and peace efforts |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3896684,00.html |work=Ynetnews |location=Tel Aviv |access-date=3 June 2010}}</ref><ref name="Israelis saw flotilla as political provocation that had to be stopped">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0601/1224271581953.html |title=Israelis saw flotilla as political provocation that had to be stopped |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=1 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011 |archive-date=24 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024011453/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0601/1224271581953.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the IDF, activists also used firearms that they brought along with them, as investigators found bullet casings not matching IDF-issued guns. The IDF reported that the second soldier to descend from the first helicopter was shot in the stomach,{{Sfn|Meir Amit report|2010|p=8}} and another soldier was shot in the knee. IDF Chief of Staff [[Gabi Ashkenazi]] said that activists also seized three stun grenades from soldiers.<ref name="Ashkenazi Bullets">{{cite news |last=Williams|first=Dan|work=Reuters |title=Israelis Fired 308 Bullets Aboard Gaza Ship|date=24 October 2010|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-flotilla-general-idUSTRE69N0Q320101024|access-date=13 June 2011}}</ref>

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The passengers were taken one-by-one from their cabins and searched on deck. Some were handcuffed and forced to kneel for hours. Women, elderly men, and western nationals were temporarily handcuffed or uncuffed shortly afterward and allowed to sit on benches. During the course of the journey to Ashdod port, passengers were brought inside and allowed to sit down. According to the UNHRC fact-finding mission, passengers were subject to various forms of abuse.{{Sfn|UNHRC report|2010|pp=27, 31, 37}}

[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Combat Gear Found Aboard the Mavi Marmara.jpg|thumb|Bulletproof vests found on the deck of the ''Mavi Marmara''.]]

IDF Lieutenant-General [[Gabi Ashkenazi]] testified to Israel's Turkel Commission that the IDF had fired 308 live rounds and about 350 [[bean bag]] rounds and paintballs. An aide to the general said that 70 of these shots were aimed to cause injury, while the others would have been warning shots. IDF Major-General [[Giora Eiland]] said that the IDF had found evidence of four instances of soldiers coming under fire from activists and that in at least one case, the fire came from weapons that were not stolen from commandos.<ref name="DeathInTheMed"/><ref name="brutal ambush"/>

===''Sfendoni'' boarding===

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====Injuries====

The raid also left dozens of activists wounded.<ref name="huge crowds">{{cite news |last=Hacaoglu |first=Selcan |url=http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/06/02/2232397/turkey-demands-intl-panel-probe.html |title=Huge welcome home for Turkish activists from Gaza |newspaper=Star-Telegram|date=2 June 2010|access-date=4 June 2010}}{{Dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> Dr. Hazem Farouq, a dentist and Egyptian MP from the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], said passengers could not find first aid and did not have material to treat wounds.<ref name="aljazeera3"/> After the takeover of the ship, injured activists were taken to the roof and treated by IDF medical personnel.{{Sfn|Meir Amit report|2010|p=10}} According to an IDF doctor, no wounded activists died after they began receiving treatment. Triage was performed in accordance with objective medical criteria, with the result that some activists were treated before soldiers.{{Sfn|Meir Amit report|2010|p=10}}

[[Israeli Air Force]] helicopters airlifted thirty-one of the wounded to Israel for emergency treatment. Another 24 injured passengers were diagnosed at Ashdod port and sent to hospitals.<ref name="Nahmias-2010"/> A total of fifty-five activists were admitted to the Israeli hospitals of [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah]], [[Sheba Medical Center|Sheba]], [[Rambam Health Care Campus|Rambam]], [[Rabin Medical Center|Rabin]], and [[Barzilai Medical Center|Barzilai]]. Nine of the activists were in severe condition,<ref name="YnetHospitals"/> and some underwent surgery at Rambam and Sheba hospitals. Several patients were transferred from Rabin Medical Center to [[Israel Prison Service]] medical facilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/56-news/1206-54-flotilla-passengers-admitted-to-israeli- |title=54 Flotilla passengers admitted to Israeli Hospitals |publisher=Freegaza |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225205636/http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/56-news/1206-54-flotilla-passengers-admitted-to-israeli- |archive-date=25 December 2010}}</ref>

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[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Weaponry Used by Passengers Aboard the Mavi Marmara (2).jpg|thumb|An assortment of the knives, wrenches, and wooden clubs found on the deck of the Marmara, according to the Israeli military]]

The Israeli military said that in addition to medical aid and construction materials, they found knives, clubs, slingshots, bulletproof vests, gas masks, and night vision goggles aboard the ''Mavi Marmara''.<ref name="wheelchair"/> A statement released by Foreign Affairs Minister [[Avigdor Lieberman]] stated that violence against the soldiers was pre-planned, and that "light weaponry" was found on the ships, including pistols that had been seized from IDF commandos. Israel stated that the naval forces "found weapons prepared in advance and used against our forces."><ref>{{cite news |last=Medzini |first=Ronen |date=31 May 2010 |script-title=he:ישראל: בידי הפעילים במשט לעזה היה נשק |trans-title=Israel: the activists on flotilla to Gaza had weapons at hand |language=he |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3896543,00.html |work=Ynet |location=Tel Aviv |access-date=8 August 2012}}</ref>

IDF photos displayed daggers, kitchen and pocket knives, metal and wooden poles, flares, wrenches and slingshots with marble projectiles said to have been used against the soldiers.<ref group="text" name="FAZ Holzstöcke">{{Cite news |last=Rößler |first=Hans-Christian |newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |title=Holzstöcke zu Eisenstangen |trans-title=Wooden staves to iron bars |date=5 June 2010 |url=https://www.faz.net/s/RubB30ABD11B91F41C0BF2722C308D40318/Doc~E9DBECE78EBE94D5D8F5D8796FA48B544~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html |language=de |access-date=5 June 2010 |quote={{lang|de|Als Anschauungsmaterial für die Gewaltbereitschaft der Aktivisten verbreitete die Armee später Bilder von Holz- und Eisenstangen, Steinschleudern, Murmeln, aber auch Schraubenschlüsseln und einer Reihe von Messern, wie sie in jedem größeren Haushalt zu finden sind.}} [As support for the claim that the activists were ready for violence, the army later published images of wooden staves and iron bars, slingshots, marbles, but also screwdrivers and a set of knives such as can be found in any larger household.]}}</ref><ref name="IDFSPOKE">{{cite web |url=http://idfspokesperson.com/2010/06/01/photos-of-the-mavi-marmaras-equipment-and-weapons-1-jun-2010/|title=Photos of the Mavi Marmara's Equipment and Weapons|publisher=Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson|date=1 June 2010 |access-date=5 June 2010}}</ref> The activists were said to have also lobbed [[stun grenades]] at IDF soldiers, and the IDF furnished video reflecting this.<ref name="grenades">{{Cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177261|title='Activists threw stun grenades': New IDF footage shows attacks before soldiers boarded 'Mavi Marmara'|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=2 June 2010}}</ref> An activist said that it would have been impossible to have firearms on board because "all the boats were carefully inspected by the government before they left the port of departure."<ref name="LIVE: Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10196585.stm|title=LIVE: Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla|date=31 May 2010|publisher=BBC |access-date=31 May 2010}}</ref>

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Some 629 activists were detained by the [[Israel Prison Service]], after they refused to sign deportation orders. A Turkish mother who had brought her one-year-old child with her agreed to extradition after she was advised that prison conditions were "too harsh" for her baby.<ref>{{cite web  |last1=Kyzer |first1=Liel |last2=Yair |first2=Ettinger |date=31 May 2010 |title='The ship turned into a lake of blood,' says activist on Gaza flotilla |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/the-ship-turned-into-a-lake-of-blood-says-activist-on-gaza-flotilla-1.293339 |work=Haaretz |access-date=24 June 2011}}</ref> Irish [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] [[Micheál Martin]] described the arrests as "kidnapping" and questioned the logic of bringing the detainees to Israel only to deport them there, instead of giving them "unconditional release".<ref name="Martin: Irish citizens 'kidnapped' in international waters">{{cite news |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30459870.html |title=Martin: Irish citizens 'kidnapped' in international waters |work=[[Irish Examiner]] |date=31 May 2010 |access-date=31 May 2010}}</ref> Israel planned to prosecute two dozen activists, charging they had assaulted its troops. Israeli authorities planned to keep them detained while the [[Israel Police]] looked into possible charges.<ref name="haaretzdeport" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100603/world/israel-drops-plans-to-prosecute-flotilla-activists.310374 |title=Israel drops plans to prosecute flotilla activists |work=The Times|location=Malta |access-date=2 March 2012}}</ref>

480 activists were detained and 48 were deported immediately.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 June 2010 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100601/wl_afp/israelconflictgazaactivists |title=AFP – Israel holds 480 activists, expelling 48 |publisher=Yahoo! News |access-date=1 June 2010 |archive-date=28 June 2011 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20110628133153/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100601/wl_afp/israelconflictgazaactivists |url-status=dead ~~|archive-date=28 June 2011 |title=AFP – Israel holds 480 activists, expelling 48 |publisher=Yahoo! News |access-date=1 June 2010~~ }}</ref> Reacting to intensifying international criticism of the raid, Israeli officials announced that all activists held would be released, including those who Israel had earlier threatened to prosecute.<ref name="haaretzdeport" /> Israel began releasing activists on 1 June.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Richard |date=1 June 2010 |title=Gaza aid flotilla: Israel releases activists amid international condemnation |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7792166/Gaza-aid-flotilla-Israel-releases-activists-amid-international-condemnation.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> On 2 June 124 activists were deported to [[Jordan]] and another 200 were taken to [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] and flown out of the country.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weaver |first=Matthew |date=2 June 2010 |title=Gaza flotilla activists deported to Jordan claim Israeli mistreatment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/02/gaza-flotilla-activists-deported-jordan |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> The Israeli military said there were a total of 718 passengers on flotilla; the last one was released by 6 June 2010.<ref name="Eiland Team"/>

A group of thirteen female activists attacked Immigration Authority personnel accompanying them to the airport for deportation. The activists began to yell and curse while in the police bus taking them to the airport, cursing officers and Israel. When they arrived at the airport, two attacked an officer, trying to push, slap and scratch him while shouting "free Palestine" and "Israel is a terror state". The two were eventually restrained by several officers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Branovsky |first=Yael |date=2 June 2010 |title=Flotilla passengers attack immigration officers |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3898233,00.html |work=Ynetnews |location=Tel Aviv |access-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> According to flotilla activist Fintan Lan Ken, an Irish-American passenger was beaten by security officials at the airport before boarding and had to be hospitalized.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Irish Times|title=Activists claim Israeli officials beat them |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0603/breaking16.html |date=3 June 2010}}</ref>

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A BBC investigation found that the aid consignment consisted of "thousands of tons" of aid, including large quantities of much needed building supplies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/appeals/esc_bulletins/2011/death_in_med.pdf|title=Findings of the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust (Death in the Med)|pages=109–110|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref> Israel said humanitarian aid confiscated from the ships would be transferred to Gaza, but that it would not transfer banned items such as cement.<ref name="haaretz-at least" /> At the same briefing, they said that they found construction equipment, including concrete and metal rods, that were not allowed into Gaza. The IDF said that all of the equipment on board was examined and none of it was in shortage in Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |last=Friedman |first=Ron |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177165 |title=Equipment not in shortage in Gaza |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=2 June 2010}}</ref>

According to Israeli and Palestinian sources, [[Hamas]] refused to allow the humanitarian aid into Gaza until Israeli authorities released all flotilla detainees and allowed building materials, which are thought to make up 8,000 of the 10,000 tons of the goods, to reach them.<ref name="hamas refuses"/><ref name="Hamas block">{{cite news |last=Meranda |first=Amnon |date=2 June 2010 |title=Hamas blocking delivery of aid |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3898181,00.html |work=Ynetnews |location=Tel Aviv |access-date=2 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="HamasAid">{{Cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/06/02/israel.palestinians.aid/ |title=IDF: Hamas stops flotilla aid delivered by Israel |publisher=CNN |date=2 June 2010 |access-date=3 June 2010|quote=Ra'ed Fatooh, in charge of the crossings, and Jamal Khudari, head of a committee against the Gaza blockade, said Israel must release all flotilla detainees and that [the aid] will be accepted in the territory only by the Free Gaza Movement people who organized the flotilla.}}</ref> Hamas leader [[Ismail Haniyeh]] said, "We are not seeking to fill our (bellies), we are looking to break the Israeli siege on Gaza."<ref name="readytoboard">{{cite news |last=Hider |first=James |date=5 June 2010 |title=Israel ready to board Gaza bound ship |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article7144619.ece |location=London |work=The Times |access-date=2 September 2011}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Flotilla Cargo En Route to the Gaza Strip.jpg|thumb|Flotilla's humanitarian aid en route to the [[Kerem Shalom border crossing|Kerem Shalom Crossing]]. The aid was unloaded at the Gaza border crossing but was refused by [[Hamas]].]]

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===Return of ships===

At midday on 31 May 2010<ref name="bbc-deaths as"/> Israeli Navy tugboats towed ships of the aid convoy to the Israeli port of [[Ashdod]],<ref>{{cite news |date=7 June 2010 |title=Israel apologises for spoof video mocking Gaza flotilla |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10253357 |work=BBC News |access-date=2 September 2011}}</ref> where the ships were impounded by Israeli authorities. NATO Secretary General [[Anders Fogh Rasmussen]] requested "the immediate release of the detained civilians and ships held by Israel".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=23468 |title=The National Interest |publisher=The National Interest |access-date=26 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606115507/http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=23468 |archive-date=6 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Of the seven ships detained in Israel, three of the Turkish-owned ships were unconditionally returned. The Israeli Defense Ministry reported that two of the remaining four ships were claimed, but proof of ownership ~~wasn't~~was not provided. Nobody claimed ownership of the remaining two ships, and Israel tried to locate the owners.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Israel eyes impound of ships breaking Gaza blockade |first1=Dan | last1=Williams | last2=Saul | first2=Jonathan|work=Reuters |date=8 September 2010|access-date=10 September 2010 | url=https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE6871IG20100908?sp=true| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607083457/http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE6871IG20100908?sp=true| url-status=dead| archive-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>

===Stolen possessions===

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===International reactions===

[[File:Gaza-flotilla-protest-ist 3638.JPG|thumb|Protesters pray before the demonstration against Gaza flotilla raid, Istanbul, 31 May 2010.]]

[[File:Demonstration against the Israeli attack on ship to Gaza May 31st 2010 (4).jpg|thumb|Demonstration in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 31 May 2010.]]

The [[United Nations Security Council]] condemned "those acts which resulted in the loss of lives" and called for a prompt investigation conforming to international standards.<ref name="hsguardfi602"/><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/world/middleeast/02nations.html |title= U.N. Security Council Condemns 'Acts' in Israeli Raid |work=The New York Times |access-date=1 June 2010 | first1=Neil | last1=MacFarquhar | first2=Alan | last2=Cowell | date=1 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-06-01-un-israel-censure_N.htm |title= U.N. condemns Israeli flotilla raid; calls for investigation |work=USA Today |access-date=1 June 2010 | date=1 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/01/un-condemns-israel-assault-gaza-flotilla |title= UN calls for inquiry into Israel flotilla attack |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=1 June 2010 | date=1 June 2010 | first1=Harriet | last1=Sherwood | first2=Matthew | last2=Weaver}}</ref> The UN Human Rights Council called the attack outrageous and dispatched a fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/64C49CB9EFCA5BAB852577360055ADE6 |title=Human rights council decides to dispatch independent fact finding mission to investigate Israeli attack on humanitarian boat convoy |publisher=United Nations |date=2 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608012454/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/64C49CB9EFCA5BAB852577360055ADE6 |archive-date=8 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=177297 |work=The Jerusalem Post |title=UNHRC demands raid investigation |author=E. B. Solomont |date=2 June 2010 |access-date=3 June 2010}}</ref> Unofficial responses included civilian demonstrations in [[Kuala Lumpur]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1060324/1/.html |title=Malaysians protest Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |date=1 June 2010 |access-date=15 June 2011 |archive-date=4 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604012454/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1060324/1/.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Beirut]], [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], [[Sidon]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Galey |first1=Patrick |last2=Zaatari |first2=Mohammed |date=1 June 2010|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=115439 |title=Thousands protest across Lebanon against flotilla killings |work=The Daily Star |access-date=15 June 2011}}</ref> Istanbul,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7006399.html |title=Supporters protest against Israeli attack on Gaza aid flotilla in Turkey |work=People's Daily |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref> [[Athens]] and [[Stockholm]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Behrakis |first=Yannis |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64U4SN20100531 |title=Thousands protest flotilla deaths, clashes in Athens (mention of Swedish protests at the end) |work=Reuters |date= 31 May 2010|access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> British Prime Minister David Cameron described the Israeli offensive as "completely unacceptable".<ref name="AnkaraSpeech">{{cite web |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/07/pms-speech-in-turkey-53869 |title=PM's speech in Turkey |date=27 July 2010 |publisher=10 Downing Street |access-date=5 June 2011 |quote=Let me be clear: the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable ... Let me also be clear that the situation in Gaza has to change ... Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611093118/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/07/pms-speech-in-turkey-53869 |archive-date=11 June 2011}}</ref>

Several entertainers canceled appearances in Israel.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vick |first=Karl |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1995850-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616074301/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1995850-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 June 2010 |title=Can Israel Learn How to Make Its Case?|magazine=Time |date=21 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref>

Iran's [[Red Crescent]] organised an aid shipment that was called off after being informed that Egypt would prevent it from passing through the [[Suez Canal]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Leyne |first=Jon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10432384.stm |title=Iranian charity accuses Egypt of blocking Gaza aid ship |work=BBC News |date=28 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> [[B. Lynn Pascoe]], United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, cautioned "such convoys were not helpful in resolving Gaza's basic economic problems and needlessly carried the potential for escalation".<ref name="SC/9990">{{Cite press release | title = Under-Secretary General Calls on Israel, Palestinians to Remove Obstacles Blocking Direct Negotiations for Lasting Settlement of Conflict | publisher=UN Security Council | date = 21 July 2010 | url = https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sc9990.doc.htm |access-date=10 June 2011}}</ref> "Our stated preference has been and remains that aid should be delivered by established routes", the United Nations spokesman said, prior to new Lebanese ships sailing to Gaza on 23 July 2010, "There are established routes for supplies to enter by land. That is the way aid should be delivered to the people of Gaza."<ref name="UN says aid to Gaza should be delivered by land">{{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAdN25_kLyw4mSJ_57umHQj-LZwQ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124185035/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAdN25_kLyw4mSJ_57umHQj-LZwQ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 January 2013 |title=UN says aid to Gaza should be delivered by land |date=23 July 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> Israel's United Nations Ambassador [[Gabriela Shalev]] said in letter to Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] about new Gaza-bound ships: "Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the ... [[naval blockade]]".<ref name="Israel warns new ships heading for Gaza">{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=israel-urges-lebanon-to-block-ships-for-gaza-2010-07-23 |title=Israel warns new ships heading for Gaza |work=Hürriyet Daily News |location=Turkey |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref>

The [[Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation]], a Libyan charity organization headed by [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]], chartered the [[MV Amalthea|MV ''Amalthea'']] to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The ship carried food, medical supplies<ref name="deseret"/> and pre-fabricated houses<ref name="bbc1">{{cite news |author=[[Malcolm Brabant]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10615479.stm |title=Israel warships monitoring Gaza-bound Libyan aid ship|work=BBC News |date=14 July 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> and docked at the port of [[El Arish, Egypt]], on 14 July,<ref>{{cite news |author=Malcolm Brabant |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10615479 |title=Libyan ship with Gaza aid arrives in Egyptian port |publisher=BBC |date=14 July 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> from where the supplies were reportedly to be taken to Gaza by road. The humanitarian aid and supplies were donated by Greek companies and charities.<ref name="deseret"/>

====Israel–Turkey diplomatic crisis====

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Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, reiterated his demands for a United Nations investigation. He said: "We have no trust at all that Israel, a country that has carried out such an attack on a civilian convoy in international waters, will conduct an impartial investigation. To have a defendant acting simultaneously as both prosecutor and judge is not compatible with any principle of law."<ref>{{Cite news |author=Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem, Jenny Percival and agencies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/14/israel-gaza-flotilla-raid-inquiry |title=Israeli cabinet approves internal inquiry into Gaza flotilla raid |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=26 June 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Ankara doesn't 'trust' Israel probe"/>

[[UN Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] said on 5 June that the IDF raid of the ''Mavi Marmara'' should be investigated by a New Zealand-led committee, with Israeli and Turkish deputies.<ref name="Ankara doesn't 'trust' Israel probe">{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=178382 |title=Ankara doesn't 'trust' Israel probe |work=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoped the Israeli-led process would put an end to efforts in the United Nations to set up an international inquiry, which many Israelis fear would be biased. In Israel and around the world, some said the committee lacked sufficient credibility and investigative powers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sanders |first=Edmund |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-commission-20100614,0,796652.story |title= Israel announces creation of Gaza flotilla inquiry committee |work=Los Angeles Times |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref> White House backed Israeli internal inquiry into Gaza flotilla deaths and said that the Israeli inquiry meets the standard of "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation".<ref name="White House backs Israeli internal inquiry into Gaza flotilla deaths">{{cite news |author=Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/13/eu-opposes-israel-gaza-blockade |title=White House backs Israeli internal inquiry into Gaza flotilla deaths |work=The Guardian |location=London |date= 14 June 2010|access-date=3 April 2011 }}</ref> U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague, speaking in Luxembourg, stressed the need for "a truly independent inquiry and a thorough investigation that the international community can respect".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/06/14/bloomberg1376-L401DF1A74E9-5.DTL|title=San Francisco Chronicle: Israeli Cabinet Approves Public Probe of Gaza Flotilla Raid|website=Sfgate.com|access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref> Israeli Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister [[Dan Meridor]] told Turkish media that there "will be international elements in the commission which is going to be formed".<ref name="Gaza inquiry will have international input: Israel">{{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i6nRtAsNaZyijr98bnQvE0QVLIvA |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124202803/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i6nRtAsNaZyijr98bnQvE0QVLIvA |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 January 2013 |title=Gaza inquiry will have international input: Israel |date=13 June 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011}}</ref>

The Israeli government said it would accept a limited role by non-Israelis in the investigation of the raid,<ref name="CNN Investigation">{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/06/11/israel.gaza.flotilla/index.html?hpt=T3 | title=Israel will accept international role in flotilla probe, officials say | publisher=CNN | date=11 June 2010}}</ref> but rejected an independent international inquiry,<ref>{{Cite news |author=Amy Teibel|work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9109714|title=Israel rejects international investigation of raid|date=3 June 2010|access-date=11 June 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Jeffrey Heller|work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65005R20100606|title=Israel rejects international inquiry into lethal raid|date=6 June 2010|access-date=11 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Gwen Ackerman and Jonathan Ferziger|work=Bloomberg Businessweek |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-06/israel-rejects-demands-for-international-probe-of-gaza-raid.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608052425/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-06/israel-rejects-demands-for-international-probe-of-gaza-raid.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 June 2010|title=Israel Rejects Demands for International Probe of Gaza Raid|date=6 June 2010|access-date=11 June 2010}}</ref> and said the country is able to conduct a credible review on its own.<ref name="FPA"/> Analysts suggested that after the controversial UN-sponsored [[Goldstone Report]], Israel lacks faith that the United Nations can do a credible job of investigating events related to Israel.<ref>"The [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy|Washington Institute]] Podcast". ''Impact of the Gaza Flotilla Incident: Implications for Middle East Politics and U.S. Policy Implications for Middle East Politics and U.S. Policy''. 17 June 2010. iTunes Store. Web. 22 June 2010.</ref> An internal Israeli police investigation was halted by Israeli [[Attorney General of Israel|Attorney General]] [[Yehuda Weinstein]].<ref name="Ihalt"/> A group of Israeli Navy reserve officers issued a letter backing the call for an independent investigation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pfeffer |first=Anshel |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-navy-reserves-officers-allow-external-gaza-flotilla-probe-1.294536 |title=Israel Navy reserves officers: Allow external Gaza flotilla probe |work=Haaretz |access-date=7 June 2010}}</ref>

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The inquiry was charged with investigating the legality of the Gaza blockade, the legality of the Israeli Navy's actions during the raid, and determining whether investigations of claims of war crimes and breaches of international law conformed to Western standards. The committee was also charged with investigating the Turkish position, and the actions taken by flotilla participants, especially the IHH, and examining the identities and intentions of the flotilla's participants.

During the investigation, the committee heard the testimonies of two flotilla passengers and two Israeli human rights activists. The committee requested the assistance of the Turkish Embassy in Israel in finding the Captain of the ''Mavi Marmara'' so he could be invited to testify. The request was denied, with the response being that the committee could look at the testimony of the Captain contained in the Turkish report. The committee also issued an open invitation to all passengers and crew to testify, and requested assistance from the Turkish Embassy in Israel in building a list of prospective witnesses, but received no immediate reply.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?=191718 |title=Israel |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=21 November 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011 |archive-date=8 December 2011 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20111208130011/http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?=191718 |url-status=dead ~~|archive-date=8 December 2011 |title=Israel |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=21 November 2010 |access-date=3 April 2011~~ }}</ref> The committee also heard the testimonies of three politicians including the Prime Minister, three IDF officials (one testified twice), two government bureaucrats, and a Prison official.

The 300-page Turkel Commission report{{sfn|Turkel Report Part 1 Overview|2011}} found the actions of the Israeli Navy in the raid and Israel's naval blockade of Gaza were both legal under international law,{{sfn|Turkel Report Summary|2011|p=9}}<ref name="BBCJAN232011" /> and accused a group of "IHH activists" of having armed themselves and conducting hostilities "in an organized manner".{{sfn|Turkel Report Part 1|2011|p=278}}

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According to ''[[Haaretz]]'' journalist Barak Ravid, UN Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Inquiry on 31 May 2010, found that Israel's Turkel commission that investigated the events was professional, independent and unbiased. It also criticized the Turkish government's behavior in its dealings with the committee, concluding that the Turkish investigation was politically influenced and its work was not professional or independent.<ref name="election-victory">{{cite news |last=Ravid |first=Barak |title=Gaza flotilla probe: IDF used excessive force but naval blockade legal |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-flotilla-probe-idf-used-excessive-force-but-naval-blockade-legal-1.371821 |newspaper=Haaretz |date= 6 July 2012 |access-date=25 December 2012}}</ref>

Amnesty International described the report of the Turkel commission as a "whitewash" since it "fails to explain how the activists died and what conclusions the Commission reached regarding the IDF’s specific actions in each case.".<ref>Staff, B. Jpost. C. (2011). Amnesty International condemns Turkel Commission findings. Jerusalem Post | JPost. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/amnesty-international-condemns-turkel-commission-findings</ref>

====The Turkish Inquiry====

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<blockquote>Forensic evidence showing that most of the deceased were shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range has not been adequately accounted for in the material presented by Israel.{{sfn|UN Palmer Report|2011|p=61}}</blockquote>

In regards to the ~~[[Blockade of the Gaza Strip|~~Gaza blockade]], the commission writes:

<blockquote>Israel faces a real threat to its security from militant groups in Gaza ... The naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law.<ref name="jpost1"/></blockquote>

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<blockquote>An appropriate statement of regret should be made by Israel in respect of the incident in light of its consequences. Israel should offer payment for the benefit of the deceased and injured and their families ... Turkey and Israel should resume full diplomatic relations ...</blockquote>

Israel's ambassador to the U.S., [[Michael Oren]], said "We think it was a fair and balanced report", and that Israel would not apologize to Turkey.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelemen |first=Michele |date=2 September 2011 |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/09/02/140151959/u-n-releases-review-on-israeli-raid |title=U.N. Review of Israeli Flotilla Raid Reopens Wounds |publisher=NPR |access-date=15 September 2011}}</ref> The Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that Israel has adopted the report, except for its conclusions regarding the use of force in the flotilla raid.<ref>{{cite news |last=Somfalvi |first=Attila |date=3 September 2011 |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4117205,00.html |title=Palmer committee member: No use of excessive force |work=Ynetnews |access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref> Turkey criticized the report for accepting Israel's naval blockade as legal, and Turkey's president [[Abdullah Gul]] said his country considered the report "null and void".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fraser |first1=Suzan |last2=Friedman |first2=Matti |date=2 September 2011 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-expels-israeli-ambassador-2348103.html |title=Turkey expels Israeli ambassador |work=The Independent |access-date=15 September 2011 |location=London}}</ref> Turkish Foreign Minister [[Ahmed Davutoglu]] said the UN ~~hadn't~~had not endorsed the Palmer report and that Turkey was going to challenge the legality of the blockade in the [[International Court of Justice]].<ref>{{cite news |date=3 September 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14777558 |title=Gaza flotilla: Turkey 'to take Israel to UN court' |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 September 2011}}</ref>

====ICC probe====

In 2013, [[Fatou Bensouda]], the Chief Prosecutor of the [[International Criminal Court]], opened a preliminary examination into the incident after the government of [[Comoros]], under whose flag the Mavi Marmara was sailing, filed a complaint over the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/comoros-files-complaint-against-israel-at-icc/|title=ICC opens initial probe against Israel over Marmara raid|website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref> In November 2014, Bensouda decided not to pursue the case, declaring that while it was possible that war crimes were committed, the possible crimes were not grave enough to fall within the scope of the court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-marmara-case-closed-israel-calls-international-probe-pointless/|title=As ICC closes Marmara case, Israel says it should never have been opened|website=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>

The government of Comoros appealed the decision, and in June 2015, three judges of a Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC ruled that the prosecutor made material errors in her assessment of the incident's gravity and requested that the investigation be reopened in a ~~2-1~~2–1 majority. Bensouda appealed the decision in July 2015, citing the opinion of the dissenting judge and errors made by the majority, claiming that the Pre-Trial Chamber had exceeded its mandate by applying a strict and mistaken standard to review the decision, and that the interpretation of the legal standard required of her was faulty.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.inss.org.il/publication/the-international-criminal-court-on-the-mavi-marmara-continued/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=13 March 2018 |archive-date=14 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042349/http://www.inss.org.il/publication/the-international-criminal-court-on-the-mavi-marmara-continued/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Five judges of the ICC Appeals Chamber dismissed her appeal and ordered her to reexamine the case in a ~~3-2~~3–2 majority ruling.

Bensouda subsequently reopened a probe into the incident, and her office received over 5,000 pages of additional evidence, including testimonies from more than 300 ''Mavi Marmara'' passengers and Turkish autopsy reports, as well as arguments in defense of the action from Israeli Attorney General [[Avichai Mandelblit]] and his Senior Adviser Gil Limon. In November 2017, after examining the case for two years, Bensouda reaffirmed her previous conclusion and announced that there was no basis for prosecution due to the fact that any possible crimes committed were not on a large scale or as part of a plan or policy, and thus fell outside of the court's mandate, criticizing the judges' analysis on how to examine the gravity of the Israeli soldiers' conduct, and for disregarding the fact that the soldiers had encountered violent resistance. Bensouda also noted that many of the witnesses who provided testimony had apparently received help in wording their testimonies, and rejected some other testimonies on the basis of the witness' involvement in violent activities, and others on the basis that testimony was provided on things the witness could not possibly have seen.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5059006,00.html|title=Israeli achievement: No ICC probe over Gaza flotilla raid|newspaper=Ynetnews |date=19 December 2017|last1=Tzimuki |first1=Tova }}</ref>

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In November 2014, [[Fatou Bensouda]], Prosecutor for the [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC), stated that there "is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court were committed on one of the vessels, the Mavi Marmara, when Israeli Defence Forces intercepted the 'Gaza Freedom Flotilla' on 31 May 2010". However, she declined to further pursue the case as it "would not be of sufficient gravity to justify further action by the ICC."<ref>{{cite news |last=Simons |first=Marlise |date=6 November 2014 |title=Hague Prosecutor Cites Possible Israeli War Crimes in Gaza Flotilla Raid |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/world/europe/hague-prosecutor-cites-possible-israeli-war-crimes-but-declines-to-seek-inquiry-in-gaza-flotilla-raid.html |access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref>

Representatives of the Comoros, on whose behalf the case was referred to the ICC, appealed the prosecutor's decision, and in July 2015 a pre-trial chamber ruled that Bensouda had made errors in her decision to dismiss the case.

Bensouda appealed, but in November 2015 the appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court upheld the decision of the pre-trial chamber.<ref>{{cite web |last=Silver |first=Charlotte |date=8 November 2015 |title=ICC prosecutor ordered to investigate Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara |work=The Electronic Intifada |url=http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/icc-prosecutor-ordered-investigate-israeli-attack-mavi-marmara |access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Comoros situation: Dismissal of the Prosecutor's appeal against decision requesting reconsideration of the decision not to initiate an investigation |publisher=International Criminal Court |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/Pages/pr1170.aspx |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208154427/https://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/press%20and%20media/press%20releases/Pages/pr1170.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bensouda then launched another preliminary investigation, reviewing more than 5,000 pages of documents and more than 300 statements from passengers. In November 2017, she reaffirmed her previous decision not to investigate, concluding that while war crimes may have been committed on the Mavi Marmara ship and her conclusion does not excuse any crimes which may have been perpetrated, the incident ~~wasn't~~was not serious enough to merit ICC involvement.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5050334,00.html|title=ICC prosecutor reaffirms she won't open Gaza flotilla probe|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=30 November 2017}}</ref>

==Documentary==

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|title=Israel's use of captured video draws criticism

|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/03/world/main6544489.shtml

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606173226/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/03/world/main6544489.shtml

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=6 June 2010

|agency=Associated Press |work=CBS News |access-date=4 June 2010

}}</ref>

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** {{cite web |title=Turkel Committee – The Report – Part 1 |date=January 2011 |publisher=[[Turkel Commission|Turkel Committee]] |url=https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/generalpage/downloads_eng1/en/ENG_turkel_eng_a.pdf |access-date=19 April 2020 |ref={{SfnRef|Turkel Report Part 1|2011}}

}}

* {{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Geoffrey |last2=Uribe |first2=Alvaro |last3=Itzhar |first3=Joseph Ciechanover |last4=Sanberk |first4=Süleyman Özdem |date=2 September 2011  |title=Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident |url=https://~~www~~graphics8.unnytimes.~~org~~com/~~News~~packages/dhpdf/~~infocus~~world/~~middle_east/Gaza_Flotilla_Panel_Report~~Palmer-Committee-Final-report.pdf |publisher=United Nations |access-date=15 September 2011 |ref={{SfnRef|UN Palmer Report|2011}}

}}

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[[Category:Gaza flotilla raid| ]]

[[Category:Cross-border operations of Israel]]

[[Category:Greece–Israel relations]]

[[Category:International maritime incidents]]