Fury after israel raid

Government after government demanded an explanation from Israel,which said its soldiers were trying to defend themselves against armed activists. The White House said in a written statement that the United States deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries and was working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu canceled a much-anticipated meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday and rushed back home from Canada in a sign of just how gravely Israel viewed the uproar.

The activists were headed to Gaza to draw attention to the blockade,which Israel and Egypt imposed after the militant Hamas group seized the territory of 1.5 million Palestinians in 2007. Turkey unofficially supported the mission. Organisers of the mission included the IHH,an Islamic humanitarian group that is based in Istanbul but operates in several other countries.

There were conflicting accounts of what happened early Monday,with activists claiming the Israelis stormed the flotilla and opened fire without provocation and Israel insisting its forces fired in self defence.

Speaking alongside the Canadian PM,Netanyahu expressed regret for the loss of life but said the soldiers had no choice. Our soldiers had to defend themselves,defend their lives,or they would have been killed, he said.

Israel said it opened fire after its commandos were attacked by knives,clubs and live fire from two pistols wrested from soldiers after they rappelled from a helicopter at about 4 am to board one of the vessels.

Late Monday,it released a grainy black-and-white video that it said supported its version of events,with activists swarming around commandos after they descended from a helicopter by rope onto the lead boat,the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara,carrying 600 people. Activists scuffled with the commandos and are seen throwing an object the military identified as a firebomb.

Activists,however,painted a completely different picture,saying the commandos stormed the ships after ordering them to stop in international waters,130 km from Gazas coast. A reporter with Al-Jazeera,who was sailing on the Turkish ship leading the flotilla,said the Israelis fired at the vessel before boarding it,wounding the captain.

These savages are killing people here,please help, a Turkish television reporter said. The broadcast ended with a voice shouting in Hebrew,Everybody shut up!

Communications to the ships were cut shortly after the raid began,and activists were kept away from reporters after their boats were towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

In Tel Aviv,Israels military chief of staff and navy commander said the violence was centered on the lead boat,which was carrying 100 activists. Troops took over the five other boats without incident,military chief Gabi Ashkenazi said.