Europe slams fatal Gaza aid ship attack
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Israel's decision to send in commandos to storm a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip - a move that left at least 10 activists dead - has been condemned by the international community.
Many details of the incident are still unclear, but it is known that Israeli naval forces mounted a pre-dawn raid this morning on six ships in international waters as they tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The ships were carrying 10,000 tonnes of supplies and 700 people - mostly international activists affiliated to the Free Gaza movement. The fatalities occured after the commandos boarding the Turkish passenger vessel, the Mavi Marmara, opened fire.
Israel says that its troops were forced to act in self-defence as they were attacked by passengers armed with knives and firearms. The Free Gaza movement, however, issued a statement saying that the commandos "fired directly into the crowd of civilians asleep."
The violence has drawn sharp criticism from European politicians and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has demanded that Israel mounts a "full inquiry".
Turkey, a key partner for Israel in the region, responded angrily, denouncing the "flagrant breach of international law" and tens of thousands of furious Turks took to the streets in Istanbul. Both Greece and Turkey have pulled out of planned joint military exercises with Israel.
