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BBC News - Turkish funerals for activists killed in Israel raid
Turkish funerals for activists killed in Israel raid
Turkey is holding funerals for nine activists killed when Israeli forces stormed their Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Earlier, Turkish media reported that the dead were eight Turks and a US national of Turkish origin.
The bodies were returned from Israel to Istanbul, along with more than 450 activists, who received a heroes' welcome at the airport.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his troops had had "no choice" but to storm the ships.
The flotilla, he argued, was not aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans, but was trying to break the blockade.
And it was Israel's duty to prevent rockets and other weapons being smuggled into Gaza to Hamas by Iran and others, he added.
"This was not a love boat, this was a boat of hate," Mr Netanyahu said.
'Faced barbarism'
But Turkish President Abdullah Gul has said Israel's ties with Turkey - its sole ally in the Muslim world - "will never be the same".
"This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar" on relations, he said in televised remarks, according to the AFP news agency.
Continue reading the main story
It was horrific, absolutely horrific
Sarah Colbourne British activist Fault lines among UK Jews In pictures: Activists fly home Q&A: Israeli raid on aid flotilla Guide: Gaza under blockade
Coffins swathed in Turkish flags have arrived at the Ottoman-era Fatih mosque in Istanbul.
Crowds of people, some wearing Palestinian-style scarves, have gathered to mourn those killed in Monday's raid on the six aid vessels.
The funerals are taking place in a strongly Islamist part of the city and emotions are running high, the BBC's Bethany Bell reports.
Earlier, post-mortem examinations carried out at a forensics laboratory in Istanbul confirmed the nationalities of the dead and found they had all died from gunshot wounds, some at close range.
The dead include a 19-year-old Turkish citizen with an American passport - who was hit by four bullets in the head and one in the chest - as well as a national taekwando athlete, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reports.
The bodies arrived, along with the 450 activists, in three aircraft chartered by the Turkish government at Istanbul airport in the early hours of Thursday, after several hours of delays.
A crowd of about 1,000 people gathered at the airport waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and shouting anti-Israeli slogans.
In a fiery speech at the airport, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Israel of piracy and said the activists had "faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride".
He said his government saluted the Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), which played a leading role in organising the convoy - a charity Israel has accused of supporting terrorism.
IHH leader Bulent Yildrim, said upon his arrival back in Istanbul that he believed the death toll could be higher than nine, as his organisation has a longer list of missing people.
British activist Sarah Colbourne told the BBC: "I couldn't even count the amount of ships that were in the water. It was literally bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was horrific, absolutely horrific."
Most of the activists were flown out of Israel with no belongings other than their passports and clothes, reported the BBC's Andrew North, at Israel's Ben Gurion airport.
All the Turkish activists were given a medical check before being sent home.
Aid wrangle
Consular staff were on hand to help the activists from other countries. They include 37 people who hold British passports.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: "This was not a love boat, it was a hate boat"
Doctors in Ankara, where some of the severely injured were taken, say they have been treating people for gunshot wounds. Three people are in intensive care.
Seven other activists are in a serious condition and will remain in Israeli hospitals until they can be moved, Israeli officials say.
Talk in Gaza is now turning to the next ship on its way across the Mediterranean to try to break the blockade, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from the territory.
The Rachel Corrie - carrying about 11 people, including Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire - had been due to be part of the original flotilla but was delayed because of technical problems.
The ship could be in the region as early as Saturday, our correspondent reports. Israel has said it will not be allowed to dock in Gaza.
Meanwhile, some of the 10,000 tonnes of aid seized from the flotilla by Israel has been returned to the Israeli port of Ashdod after it was left stranded at a Gaza-Israel crossing.
The Hamas government in control of Gaza has refused to accept the aid until the Israeli-Arab activists still in detention are released, and it also accused Israel of failing to deliver the full 10,000 tonnes of aid.
Israel says it is prepared to allow all the aid into Gaza, apart from cement and metal products - a sizeable proportion of the total shipment.
Turkish funerals for activists killed in Israel raid
Turkey is holding funerals for nine activists killed when Israeli forces stormed their Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Earlier, Turkish media reported that the dead were eight Turks and a US national of Turkish origin.
The bodies were returned from Israel to Istanbul, along with more than 450 activists, who received a heroes' welcome at the airport.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his troops had had "no choice" but to storm the ships.
The flotilla, he argued, was not aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans, but was trying to break the blockade.
And it was Israel's duty to prevent rockets and other weapons being smuggled into Gaza to Hamas by Iran and others, he added.
"This was not a love boat, this was a boat of hate," Mr Netanyahu said.
'Faced barbarism'
But Turkish President Abdullah Gul has said Israel's ties with Turkey - its sole ally in the Muslim world - "will never be the same".
"This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar" on relations, he said in televised remarks, according to the AFP news agency.
Continue reading the main story
It was horrific, absolutely horrific
Sarah Colbourne British activist Fault lines among UK Jews In pictures: Activists fly home Q&A: Israeli raid on aid flotilla Guide: Gaza under blockade
Coffins swathed in Turkish flags have arrived at the Ottoman-era Fatih mosque in Istanbul.
Crowds of people, some wearing Palestinian-style scarves, have gathered to mourn those killed in Monday's raid on the six aid vessels.
The funerals are taking place in a strongly Islamist part of the city and emotions are running high, the BBC's Bethany Bell reports.
Earlier, post-mortem examinations carried out at a forensics laboratory in Istanbul confirmed the nationalities of the dead and found they had all died from gunshot wounds, some at close range.
The dead include a 19-year-old Turkish citizen with an American passport - who was hit by four bullets in the head and one in the chest - as well as a national taekwando athlete, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reports.
The bodies arrived, along with the 450 activists, in three aircraft chartered by the Turkish government at Istanbul airport in the early hours of Thursday, after several hours of delays.
A crowd of about 1,000 people gathered at the airport waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and shouting anti-Israeli slogans.
In a fiery speech at the airport, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Israel of piracy and said the activists had "faced barbarism and oppression but returned with pride".
He said his government saluted the Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), which played a leading role in organising the convoy - a charity Israel has accused of supporting terrorism.
IHH leader Bulent Yildrim, said upon his arrival back in Istanbul that he believed the death toll could be higher than nine, as his organisation has a longer list of missing people.
British activist Sarah Colbourne told the BBC: "I couldn't even count the amount of ships that were in the water. It was literally bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was horrific, absolutely horrific."
Most of the activists were flown out of Israel with no belongings other than their passports and clothes, reported the BBC's Andrew North, at Israel's Ben Gurion airport.
All the Turkish activists were given a medical check before being sent home.
Aid wrangle
Consular staff were on hand to help the activists from other countries. They include 37 people who hold British passports.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: "This was not a love boat, it was a hate boat"
Doctors in Ankara, where some of the severely injured were taken, say they have been treating people for gunshot wounds. Three people are in intensive care.
Seven other activists are in a serious condition and will remain in Israeli hospitals until they can be moved, Israeli officials say.
Talk in Gaza is now turning to the next ship on its way across the Mediterranean to try to break the blockade, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from the territory.
The Rachel Corrie - carrying about 11 people, including Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire - had been due to be part of the original flotilla but was delayed because of technical problems.
The ship could be in the region as early as Saturday, our correspondent reports. Israel has said it will not be allowed to dock in Gaza.
Meanwhile, some of the 10,000 tonnes of aid seized from the flotilla by Israel has been returned to the Israeli port of Ashdod after it was left stranded at a Gaza-Israel crossing.
The Hamas government in control of Gaza has refused to accept the aid until the Israeli-Arab activists still in detention are released, and it also accused Israel of failing to deliver the full 10,000 tonnes of aid.
Israel says it is prepared to allow all the aid into Gaza, apart from cement and metal products - a sizeable proportion of the total shipment.
