The ship on which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish nationals carried "dozens of thugs" who were prepared to fight and who boarded the vessel later than the peaceful pro-Palestinian activists on board, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
"This group boarded separately in a different city, organized separately, equipped itself separately and went on deck under different procedures," Netanyahu told his Cabinet. "The clear intent of this hostile group was to initiate a violent clash with (Israeli) soldiers."
Netanyahu's allegations came amid the growing international backlash against the raid last Monday, in which eight Turkish nationals and a Turkish-American man were killed. Yesterday, protests were held in cities around the world criticizing Israel for the way in which it commandeered the ship, which were attempting to carry aid supplies to the Gaza strip.
Netanyahu countered that "dozens of thugs" from "an extremist, terrorism-supporting" group had prepared to fight Israeli commandos as they boarded the vessel.
Video of the clashes released by the Israeli military shows a crowd of men swarming the commandos after they repelled down to the ship from a helicopter. Some of the men are seen swinging clubs. At least one soldier was thrown overboard.
A Turkish Islamic charity known as IHH, which Israel considers illegal due to alleged ties to Hamas, organized the ship. Bulent Yildirim, who heads the IHH, said in Turkey that everyone on the vessel boarded at the port of Antalya. He dismissed Netanyahu's claim that those who fought with Israeli forces were trained militants.
"Take a look at who was killed. They had pot bellies. They were old. They were young," he said. "Who would believe that they received special training?"
The flotilla was put on by the Free Gaza Movement. Its leader, Huwaida Arraf, described the Israeli prime minister's accusations as "another pack of lies."
The deadly incident has also sparked demands from numerous countries, including the United States, to ease the blockade against Gaza.
Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the militant Islamic group Hamas seized power in Gaza in a 2007 battle. Hamas had won legislative elections in Gaza a year earlier.
Kamran Bokhari, an analyst with the global intelligence company STRATFOR, said that Israel had begun to adjust its policies amid the backlash.
"There is a statement today that they would allow ships to go to Gaza once they've been inspected and approved by the Israeli naval forces," Bokhari told Â鶹´«Ã½ Channel.
"Israel is adjusting to this new environment," he said. "But I don't see them giving up completely the idea that they need to make sure that weapons do not make their way into the Gaza strip."
With files from The Associated Press
