World in shock at deadly Gaza ship raid
GAZA, May 31 (Bernama) -- The pre-dawn Israeli naval forces attack against international aid convoy Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in which 20 activists on the board were, killed and more than 30 wounded, outraged Arab and world countries, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
Robert Serry, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and Filippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), condemned in a joint statement the Israeli attack on Gaza Flotilla.
"We are shocked by reports of killings and injuries of people on board the convoy carrying supplies to Gaza, apparently in international waters. We condemn the violence and call for it to stop.
"The situation is still ongoing and we are awaiting confirmation of what has happened," said the joint statement.
Israeli and Turkish media reports said that hundreds of Israeli naval soldiers attacked the ships of the Freedom Flotilla and clashed with the activists, killing at least 20 and injuring about 30. Ten Israeli officers were also injured.
"However, we are in contact with the Israeli authorities to express our deep concern and to seek a full explanation. We are also urging them in the strongest terms to ensure that no further steps are taken that could endanger civilian lives," said the joint statement of UN officials.
The statement added that they "wish to make clear that such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip."
The Freedom Flotilla, which includes three ships and five vessels, was carrying around 700 activists, members of different Arab and European countries, as well as international solidarity movement members, and humanitarian aids, medicines and construction materials to Gaza.
Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip and closed all its commercial crossings on the borders with the Gaza Strip right after Islamic Hamas movement seized control of the enclave by force in June 2007. However, Israel said humanitarian aid is allowed into the enclave.
Following the attack on the convoy, the governments of Sweden, Greece, France, Spain and Turkey summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their countries respectively for clarifications on what had happened, local and international media reports said.
Xinhua reported that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) called on the Arab League and the UN Security Council to hold emergency sessions to discuss the Israeli attack on Gaza Freedom Flotilla. A PNA statement called for investigating the Israeli attack on the aid convoy.
Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a press statement it is a "brutal attack of Israeli forces against the Gaza flotilla".
The Gaza flotilla is an international effort to break the Israeli siege on Gaza, bringing tons of humanitarian aid to help the 1.5 million Palestinians besieged there."
"What we have seen this morning is a war crime. These were civilian ships carrying civilians and civilian goods -- medicines, wheelchairs, food, construction materials -- intended for the 1.5 million Palestinians holed up under a cruel and criminal siege by Israel," said Erekat.
Referring to the current status of Gaza, he said, adding that the Israeli government has been trying to deny that Gaza is under occupation.
However, the fact that Israel is preventing humanitarian aid to freely access the besieged strip clearly shows that Gaza is still occupied."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently on a visit to Jordan, said in a statement published by the state-run Wafa news agency that what Israel has committed against the activists of the Freedom Flotilla is a massacre.
He called for a three-day mourning and flags at half-mast.
Ismail Haneya, prime minister of the deposed Hamas government, described the Israeli attack as "the biggest piracy in the world." He telephoned several leaders in the world, and expressed his government's outrage over the Israeli attack.
tunku : WAKE UP WORLD. This is not about religion, this is about the freedom of the people of Palestine.it is their very basic right.we should unite and teach israel the lesson. they are just untouchable that the bloody america just close an eye on them.if it was other country or the right way to put it is if it was a muslim country, america and its allies will bomb the country like what they did in Iraq and Afghanistan.the only thing they can say is we condemn the act.that's it.so i am not wrong when i say GOD DAMN AMERICA AND ISRAEL and THE ARABS.The Arabs have no balls to fight.they should go war with israel but instead killing innocent people by blowing up themself (a stupid coward act and against Islamic teaching) .i want to salute turkish, they are far better than the arabs.
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The Arab have the same genes as the Jews.
That's why the Jews cannot make the chemical weapon to kill the Arabs because they would be dead as well if they do that.
Damn the Jews who are worst than the Nazis and damn the Arabs who are being the Jews followers.
tunku mahathir , i support you !
u are the best , no matter what you say , i am a chinese aged 18 this year . I saw you in the pavilion last year during christmas , you were with 4 of your body guards. I like you , u are my favourite prime minister ever !
may god bless you !
pergi jahanam israel.
i hope israel will be destroyed, peace in the world without zionist
We have no fear of our enemies if we know they are arabs. General Moshe Dayan.
Mereka hanya takut kalau mereka tahu musuh mereka orang Islam yang dipimpin oleh Tun Dr. Mahathir.
hjahz
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