Gaza flotilla: British activists released

Israel has released and is in the process of deporting the remaining British activists arrested in its raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said 37 British nationals, including 11 with dual nationality, were involved. Five have already been deported.


He said he was concerned at the raid taking place in international waters.

Prime Minister David Cameron condemned it as "completely unacceptable", saying he deplored the loss of life.

In his first Commons question time, he said everything should be done to prevent it happening again.

Israel is in the process of deporting nearly all of the 682 detainees.

The remaining Britons are currently either on flights or awaiting planes at Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv, the BBC understands.

Consular staff are ready to provide assistance both at the airport and in Turkey, the Foreign Office has said.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'

None of the Britons was currently believed to have been involved in any violence against Israeli servicemen who boarded the ships, Mr Hague told MPs.

Nine activists died when Israeli commandos boarded the six-ship convoy on Monday, prompting increased international pressure on Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Gaza conflict: 600 held as Israel tries to gag witnesses

Terrified aid workers claimed last night their ship was awash with blood as Israeli commandos stormed their convoy and slaughtered nine civilians.


Traumatised Nilufer Cetin was trapped with 13-month-old son Turker on Mavi Marmara - one of six vessels in the flotilla - as the masked special forces struck.

She described how Israeli boats "harassed" the convoy for hours, despite being in international waters , before swooping at 4am on Monday.

Mrs Cetin, whose ship's engineer husband was held by Israeli officials, tried to escape the violence by hiding with her son in the bathroom of one of the cabins.

She said: "They threw smoke bombs followed by gas canisters. Suddenly the commandos started to descend on us from helicopters.

"The ship turned into a lake of blood.

It was awful. The inside of the boat was completely drenched in blood."

Her graphic account was one of several that emerged despite frantic efforts by Israeli officials to gag witnesses from revealing the truth about the botched raids that have sparked international outrage.

Un chiefs formally condemned the attacks yesterday and ordered an urgent investigation.

Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship

More than 10 people have been killed after Israeli commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army says.

Armed forces boarded the vessels overnight, clashing with some of the 600 protesters on board.


The exact location of the interception is unclear. Israel had warned the ships not to enter its territorial waters.

The ships are carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid to try to break a long-standing Israeli-led blockade.

Israel says its forces were attacked by activists when they got on board.

"The people on the boats were very, very violent toward the soldiers," Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

Organisers of the flotilla said at least 30 people were wounded in the incident.