Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Widespread international condemnation of and reaction to the raid followed, Israel–Turkey relations were strained, and Israel subsequently eased its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The cargo included food, wheelchairs, books, toys, electricity generators, operating theater equipment, medicines,[18][19] medical equipment, textiles, footwear, cash, mobility scooters, sofas, and building materials, such as cement,[20] which are prohibited under the Israeli blockade, although Israel offered to allow the cement to enter Gaza, if the flotilla were to dock in Ashdod.
[28] Israeli-Arab member of Knesset Haneen Zoubi, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel Raed Salah, Swedish novelist Henning Mankell, convicted hijacker Erdinç Tekir, who participated in the Black Sea hijacking,[29] and a number of parliamentarians from European and Arab national legislatures and the European Parliament.
[30][31] In June 2010 U.S. Assistant Secretary of State P. J. Crowley told reporters Wednesday: "'We know that IHH representatives have met with senior Hamas officials in Turkey, Syria and Gaza over the past three years,'" and "'That is obviously of great concern to us.
'"[32] The AP was quoted on MSNBC: "The Turkish Islamic charity behind a flotilla of aid ships that was raided by Israeli forces on its way to Gaza had ties to terrorism networks, including a 1999 al-Qaida plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport, France's former top anti-terrorism judge said Wednesday.
[41] Israel informed the fleet that it would be redirected to the port of Ashdod[42] and the cargo would be transferred to Gaza after undergoing a security inspection.
It also announced that Gaza did not have a deep sea port capable of receiving the sort of cargo ships participating in the flotilla.
It concluded that "whilst the mission is satisfied that the flotilla constituted a serious attempt to bring essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, it seems clear that the primary objective was political, as indeed demonstrated by the decision of those on board the Rachel Corrie to reject a Government of Ireland-sponsored proposal that the cargo in that ship be allowed through Ashdod intact".
[47] Some supporters of the flotilla said that "a violent response from Israel will breathe new life into the Palestine solidarity movement, drawing attention to the blockade.
"[48] Two of the activists (Ali Haydar Bengi and Ibrahim Bilgen) who died during the MV Mavi Marmara clash had previously said that they wished for martyrdom.
[49][50] Former U.S. Marine Kenneth O'Keefe, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara, stated that the activists knew from the outset that there would be no passive resistance.
[52] "We do not even have a jackknife here, but we will not let Israeli soldiers on board this ship", İHH leader Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım told reporters via a live video stream before the convoy set sail.
[56] According to the National Post, Israeli deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai hinted that Israel had exhausted covert means of stalling the vessels.
"[57] A senior IDF officer hinted to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that some of the vessels had been tampered with to halt them far from the Gaza or Israeli coast.
[58][59] 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.
[60] Israeli forces raided the flotilla on the night of 30–31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, boarding the ships using speedboats and helicopters.
