The Israeli army said on Tuesday it will not allow any other humanitarian aid ships to enter Gaza, just one day after the freedom flotilla massacre, which took the lives of 19 people and injured scores of others. Israel has also insinuated that it would use force against the Rachel Corrie ship which recently left Ireland for the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Prison Service, meanwhile, has confirmed that 610 activists from the flotilla are being detained in Ila Prison in southern Israel, while 50 others were transported to Ben Gurion Airport for deportation.
The remaining detainees are being investigated, after which Israeli authorities will decide whether to deport them or take legal measures against them.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, warned Israel against “testing Ankara’s patience,” and called for Israel to be punished for the “bloody massacre” it has committed. He also said that “Israel cannot treat Turkey like other countries in the region, or else the price will be very high.”
The Security Council called for a “neutral” investigation into the Israeli raid of the freedom fleet, and for the immediate release of ships and detained civilians. It also condemned “acts of violence” against civilians.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International also called for an “impartial” investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile in Egypt, hundreds of activists staged a vigil on Tuesday in front of the Shura Council, protesting against Israel’s crime, while thousands more, including members of various political parties and syndicates, staged protests in eight different cities.
A diplomatic source said Egyptian MPs Mohamed el-Beltagy and Hazem Farouq, who were on board one of the ships, arrived in Egypt via Taba on Tuesday morning.They were received by the Egyptian authorities from their Israeli counterparts.
“The Egyptian foreign ministry did not know there were Egyptians on the flotilla,” said parliament speaker Fathi Sorour. “So I had to call higher officials who helped release them.”
The Arab League will hold a meeting of Arab foreign ministries on Wednesday to look into recommendations submitted by representatives at their last meeting.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
