THE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS
The eyewitness accounts of the survivors of the Gaza aid flotilla massacre expose the lies in israeli government accounts of events which the media have largely accepted unchallenged. It clearly emerges that the israeli navy started firing even before boarding the Mavi Marmara. Many of the eyewitness accounts are presented below.
No warning was given; we were in international waters…
They started firing live bullets onto the deck…
"As soon as they started approaching tear gas was fired and sound bombs were dropped on the deck… No warning was given, we were in international waters. …a helicopter arrived and started firing rubber bullets down on us. …they started firing live bullets onto the deck. …some were bleeding profusely. ...plastic straps were tied around our wrists. We were kept in that position until Tuesday… People weren't allowed to eat, drink… we thought we'd been kidnapped."
Ismail Patel
British citizen
The 47-year-old optician from Oadby, UK
www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk
A man who has pointed a camera at the soldiers was shot dead through the forehead…
It was truly horrific…
"The word horrific is over-used but it truly was horrific. Myself and other Britons saw people shot directly through their heads with live rounds so hard that they burst open their skulls… A man who has pointed a camera at the soldiers was shot dead through the forehead."
Kevin Ovenden
British citizen
Aide to the former MP George Galloway
www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
They were kicking my legs to make me fall and mocking me…
We were kept in the boat and did not eat in 18 hours…
“They were kicking my legs to make me fall and mocking me… They took pleasure in humiliating us. We were terrorized for the last few days… It is like I was in a nightmare… It was an insane situation… I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept for days. I was on hunger strike for the last few hours. We weren’t told our rights when we got to Israel. We weren’t told anything. We were pressured to sign a document in Hebrew. I refused. We were not allowed to make any calls. Not to an embassy or to legal representation. We were kept in the boat and did not eat in 18 hours.”
Paveen Yaqub
British citizen
From Manchester, UK
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
Guns were being fired from the helicopters…
I was stunned by the lethal force the Israeli soldiers used…
“I'm the same age as Israel… I was born in 1947 so I've known from quite early years that I wasn't being presented with the whole truth. I knew from the papers that Israel was a brave little country existing against the odds with hostile neighbours and so we should be proud to support Israel. It wasn't many years because my parents were very open-minded - I was 7 or 8 when I realised I hadn't been told the whole truth and Israel was existing in a country that had belonged to somebody else.
It took the israeli security forces half an hour to board our vessel and take control of it… Guns were being fired from the helicopters… The iron bars that have often been referred to, were possibly dismantled railings from the boat and weighed no more that a light piece of copper piping… I was stunned by the lethal force the Israeli soldiers used… The first of the serious casualties were brought down through the area in which I was standing. And plainly he was very severely injured. I've not seen so much blood and, I haven't seen action of this kind anyway… I [had] obviously been hit somewhere in the area of my head and possibly the shoulder. And the quantity of blood was quite astounding. It was thick, very thick blood, and from then on you could smell blood around the vessel. I was about a little further from steps coming down from the top deck, the scene of the carnage, and on two occasions Israeli soldiers came down the stairs and slipped on the blood that was on the steps. The act of them slipping connected, in a very human way, the act of the Israeli soldier, they appeared to be very young too, with the ignominy of them slipping in front of us. And also the feeling you have when you see someone falling in front of you, you want to get up and actually help them in some way, it's a very curious thing. If, you, I felt the inclination to move myself. It's difficult getting up with your hands behind your back and I was on the move and I thought if I was to carry this through I would probably be shot straight away.”
Peter Venner
From the Isle of Wight
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
english.aljazeera.net
ventnorblog.com
I don't know why they needed spy ships and big war boats and all that....
The israeli soldiers fired their weapons before descending from the helicopter…
“It was amazing to see so many people from different countries with different faiths all coming together for this cause, to bring some relief to the Palestinians who've been under siege so long. For the first few days we moved around, spoke to each other, got to know each other, wished we would reach Gaza safely. Thinking and dreaming about what the people would be like there and how we could help them… The night before I was coming out the back with the other people and we started seeing all these spy planes going round everywhere, then there were ships in the distance coming up… I don't know why they needed spy ships and big war boats and all that .... The israeli soldiers fired their weapons before descending from the helicopter…”
Ahmed Luqman Talib
Australian student
english.aljazeera.net
The israeli soldiers fired their weapons before descending from the helicopter…
And real bullets were found in our friends who were martyred…
“The israeli soldiers fired their weapons before descending from the helicopter… The first attack upstairs started around 0430. From 0430 on for about 35 or 40 minutes, after control was taken upstairs, for about 20 minutes Israeli soldiers began shooting from that deck. They shot at the lower decks and our friends who were killed were the ones who were down below on the lower deck. After 20 minutes of shooting, I think when they believed they had enough soldiers and after the helicopters were coming and going, they came to the deck where the bridge is. I saw them descending and they waited in that area for about three or four minutes.... Let me put it this way, the front and the sides of the bridge are completely covered with glass windows and in the back part there are two separate panes of glass. They came in while shooting at the glass close to the deck side… The paintball guns were modified with glass bullets. Those were used but plastic bullets were also used. I'm not saying they weren't used at all. But I don't know any paintball or plastic bullet that could make a hole in an 8mm steel plate. There was an 8mm steel plate with a hole in it. Real guns were definitely used in that area. And real bullets were found in our friends who were martyred.”
Mahmut Tural
The captain of the Mavi Marmara
english.aljazeera.net
A second helicopter started shooting live bullets on the people…
They kept us tied up, hands behind the back, for nine hours…
“A second helicopter started shooting live bullets on the people… People did not have any guns. All what they had were some wooden sticks which is normal… I was on the Mavi Marmara. I wasn't on the rooftop deck. I was on the first deck floor where the Israelis tried to climb by the ropes on the deck. There were 20 Turkish resistance guys throwing tomatoes, anything that they managed to throw, on the Israelis. Then one of these Turkish guys got a bullet just in the head. When the Turkish people saw that, they pulled him inside when the israelis started firing on the deck.
(After the Israelis took over the ship) they kept us tied up, hands behind the back, for nine hours until we reached the Ashdod port and from there they took us for individual interrogation and then shipped us all to Be'er Sheva jail…”
Andre Abu-Khalil
Al Jazeera cameraman
english.aljazeera.net
They fired immediately at people and killed as many as they could…
Most people know that every Yemeni in the world has a Yemeni style knife, that is a cultural thing…
“The Israeli assault took those of us on the ship by complete surprise… During that hour an half in the early morning everybody on board the ship thought that no-one would survive the Israeli attack because we saw about 30 war vessels surrounding this ship and helicopters attacking with very luminous bombs, the sound of them makes you think you are dead… That was a fear of war, complete war, on a ship that was full of men, women and even children.
The first soldiers on the ship were not killed, they were not shot at, they were captured by the defenders of the ship. Moments later another bigger helicopter landed more troops and this time they fired immediately at people and killed as many as they could so that they could reach the cabin and take control of the ship… I saw blood spilt on the ship and everyone knew that there was no weapons. we all knew the Israelis would intercept us and try to stop us, but we didn't think that they would open fire at the first moment… I have been shown the picture of a Yemeni man, and this is ridiculous, who was on the ship and most people know that every Yemeni in the world has a Yemeni style knife, that is a cultural thing and does not have anything to do with violence. I understand now that in Israel they are trying to make a big deal about that, saying that the boat was full of violent people and just because of that one man.”
Mohamed Vall
Al Jazeera reporter
english.aljazeera.net
I saw two people die before my eyes… One had a bullet in his head…
They did not respect that all those on the ships were civilians. There were no weapons…
“First, they fired sound and gas bombs and rubber bullets. Some people were injured from the rubber bullets. Then, live bullets were used. I saw several men being wounded. We tried to help some of the wounded. I saw four people who were killed…I saw two people die before my eyes. One of them had a bullet in the chest. The other was bleeding but I did not know where he was shot… We went down to see the other dead people. One had a bullet in his head as if he was hit by a sniper. Live bullets were every where… They did not respect that all those on the ships were civilians. There were no weapons… There was not firing by the activists on the soldiers. As media we stand witnesses on that… They four dead people that I saw were all Turkish. Two were old men. The other two were younger. One of the young people was a coordinator in the media room. His name is Juwdat (Cevdet)… We heard that more people were killed. I only saw four.”
Othman Battiri
Al Jazeera crew member
english.aljazeera.net
They rained us with sound and gas bombs as if we were in real war…
When we tried to carry the injured, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow men…
“Helicopters were flying above us. Four military ships and 10 Navy boats surrounded us. They rained us with sound and gas bombs as if we were in real war. Four people died before my eyes and in my hands. We could not find any first aid material. What happened required a field hospital to treat the injured. I did not have the necessary material to treat their bleeding wounds. When we tried to carry the injured, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow men to carry the wounded. They pointed their guns with laser light toward their heads. They asked women to carry the wounded. Some women could not. The wounded were very hurt because they were not carried in the proper way through the stairs and narrow doors.”
Hazem Farouq
Egyptian MP
Dentist
english.aljazeera.net
One of israeli soliders hit my hand from behind with a stun gun…
It was an unbelievable scene…
“I was filming, and then he (an israeli solider) ran after me with a stun gun… He could not catch me. One of his colleagues hit my hand from behind with a stun gun. My camera fell down. He ran to crush the camera with his feet… I told him, don't break my camera. If you want the tapes, I will give them to you. I told him these are media equipment. They had no limits… They used rubber bullets. They used tear gas bombs. It was an unbelievable scene…”
Issam Zaatar
Al Jazeera cameraman
english.aljazeera.net
We had no weapons… We were on a peaceful humanitarian mission…
People were illegally held against their will, taken to israel from international waters.
“We were on a humanitarian mission, that the United Nations had called for ships to be sent with humanitarian aid… No one on board the boat was armed… The attack was an act of piracy and a "massacre"… I saw a man being shot dead by an israeli commando… I saw an injured person being brought to the back of the deck being tended to by a doctor. He was shot in the head… the dinghies the israelis used were bristling with arms… It was just literally bristling with ships, helicopters, gunfire… All I know is that there was gunfire everywhere around… What I saw was guns being used by the israelis on unarmed civilians... The people on board the ship had no idea that the israelis might use deadly force… We had no weapons. We were on a peaceful humanitarian mission. We knew there might be problems with the israelis because of the way they treated previous convoys in the past and because of the way they treat the Palestinian people… We never considered that they would murder so many people on a humanitarian mission. It was very clear there was no way we could have been carrying weapons on board. Yet we were attacked with live gunfire… As we were moved out we were all cuffed with cable ties. All our phones and cameras were removed. We were made to sit or kneel in lines on the deck. The sun was quite strong and I was aware that people were starting to get dehydrated… We were kidnapped; we were deprived of our liberty and our belongings. People were illegally held against their will, taken to israel from international waters. In terms of treatment, in terms of our basic rights they were completely and totally violated."
Sarah Colborne
Director of campaigns and operations at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.guardian.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk
I also witnessed the Mavi Marmara being stormed from above by helicopter and the israelis started firing before their troops touched down on the boat…
“The israelis used rubber bullets, sound bombs and tasers against us (on board the smaller Challenger yacht, which was crewed mainly by women)… Two women were hooded; they had their eyes taped… We stood and tried to obstruct the armed, masked men and maintained no other defence and still they used violence… I also witnessed the Mavi Marmara being stormed from above by helicopter and the israelis started firing before their troops touched down on the boat… You must remember that these are unarmed civilians on their own boat in the middle of the Mediterranean. People picked up what they could to defend themselves against armed, masked commandos who were shooting… The violence was initiated by the israelis on a massive scale.”
Alex Harrison
From Islington, north London, UK
On board the smaller Challenger yacht
www.guardian.co.uk
They took everything – cameras, laptops, cell phones, personal belongings including our clothes… The Mavi Marmara is filled with blood…
“My son has been nervous since yesterday afternoon ... I did not need to protect my son.
They knew there was a baby on board. I put a gas mask and life jacket on my son… There are thousands, millions of babies in Gaza. My son and I wanted to play with those babies. We planned to deliver them aid. We wanted to say: 'Look, it's a safe place, I came here with my baby-son.'… israeli troops opened fire before boarding the Mavi Marmara… It was extremely bad and very tough clashes took place. The Mavi Marmara is filled with blood… There were sound and smoke bombs and later they used gas bombs. Following the bombings they started to come on board from helicopters… they took everything – cameras, laptops, cell phones, personal belongings including our clothes.”
Nilufer Cetin
Wife of the Mavi Marmara's chief engineer
www.guardian.co.uk
english.aljazeera.net
We continuously told them we did not have weapons, we came here to bring humanitarian help and not to fight… Our ship communication system was disrupted…
“We continuously told them we did not have weapons, we came here to bring humanitarian help and not to fight… The attack on the Mavi Marmara came in an instant: they attacked it with 12 or 13 attack boats and also with commandos from helicopters. We heard the gunshots over our portable radio handsets, which we used to communicate with the Mavi Marmara, because our ship communication system was disrupted. There were three or four helicopters also used in the attack. We were told by Mavi Marmara their crew and civilians were being shot at and windows and doors were being broken by israelis.”
Kutlu Tiryaki
Captain of a vessel in the filotilla
www.guardian.co.uk
After seeing passengers shot at close range they tried to grab the weapons to stop the killing… We were abused in just about every way imaginable…
“After seeing passengers shot at close range they tried to grab the weapons to stop the killing… I saw five people being killed on board the Mavi Marmara… While in israeli custody I, along with everyone else was subjected to endless abuse and flagrant acts of disrespect. Women and elderly were physically and mentally assaulted. Access to food and water and toilets was denied. Dogs were used against us; we ourselves were treated like dogs. We were exposed to direct sun in stress positions while hand cuffed to the point of losing circulation of blood in our hands. We were lied to incessantly…We were abused in just about every way imaginable and I myself was beaten and choked to the point of blacking out… and I was beaten again while in my cell. In all this what I saw more than anything else were cowards…”
Kenneth O’Keefe
U.S. veteran of the 1991 Iraq war
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
www.gcnlive.com
info-wars.org
They shot and murdered unarmed men in International Waters…
It was Bloody Sunday on the High Seas, an armed attack on a peace convoy…
“israeli forces began shooting into the Mavi Marmara from helicopters, in a ’remeditated attack on an Arab ship.’ … I last saw Ken (Kenneth O’Keefe) covered in blood. He was unable to speak after we were all baton charged by israeli defence forces. I had told them I wasn’t to leave as I had a court date but they didn’t listen to me… We had been taken, at gun point, in a metal box to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv. I was insisting on staying so I refused to sign any documentation that would be used to deport me. The israeli defence forces baton charged us. They brutalised us in full view of CCTV cameras… I saw Ken through a curtain of his blood just before he was taken away from us. I was then asked to sign more papers and when I refused I was set on by 15/20 members of Israeli security forces. They tried to break my fingers, knelt on my back and punched me to the head. I never once consented to be deported… They shot and murdered unarmed men in International Waters. Some of them were shot in the head with entry wounds low down on the body. I had a perfect view from the bow of the Challenger I onto the Mavi Marmara. It was cold blooded murder. It was Bloody Sunday on the High Seas, an armed attack on a peace convoy.”
Fiachra O’Luian
From Carndonagh
info-wars.org
We had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used…
Of course we weren't prepared for a situation of war…
“Suddenly from everywhere we saw inflatables coming at us, and within seconds fully equipped commandos came up on the boat. They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used… The boat's captain was beaten for refusing to leave the wheel and a cameraman filming the raid was hit with a rifle butt in the eye by israeli soldiers... Of course we weren't prepared for a situation of war.”
Dimitris Gielalis
Aboard the Sfendoni
www.guardian.co.uk
arabnews.com
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
The commandos were already using teargas and firing live ammunition as they hit the deck… We did not resist at all, we couldn't even if we had wanted to...
“We were in international waters. The israelis acted like pirates, completely out of the normal way that they conduct nautical exercises, and seized our ship. They took us hostage, pointing guns at our heads; they descended from helicopters and fired tear gas and bullets. There was absolutely nothing we could do … The commandos were already using teargas and firing live ammunition as they hit the deck… We did not resist at all, we couldn't even if we had wanted to... What could we have done against the commandos who climbed aboard? Those who tried to resist forming a human ring on the bridge were given electric shocks… the ship was full of humanitarian aid bound for Gaza and nothing more… They confiscated everything, mobile phones, laptops, cameras and personal effects… There was great mistreatment after our arrest. We were essentially hostages, like animals on the ground… They wouldn't let us use the bathroom, wouldn't give us food or water and they took video of us despite international conventions banning this… I was kept incommunicado in ‘wretched detention conditions’ at the israeli port of Ashdod, denied access to a lawyer and made to sign papers I did not understand… Two Greek activists were beaten up there by israeli police.”
Michalis Grigoropoulos
At the wheel of the Free Mediterranean
www.guardian.co.uk
www.theage.com.au
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
There was a terrible raid from the air and from the sea and from everywhere, with shooting… No one resisted the israeli soldiers…
“The flotilla was about 80 miles (130 kilometres) off the coast of Gaza in international waters when the raid occurred. The Turkish ship was in front of us ... on which there was a terrible raid from the air and from the sea and from everywhere, with shooting… Commandos beat activists… No one resisted the israeli soldiers who boarded the Free Mediterranean, which was carrying a cargo of wheelchairs, building materials and medicine… Some people were hit by clubs and electric shocks. “
Aris Papadokostopoulos
Aboard the Free Mediterranean
arabnews.com
Soldiers refused her requests for medical assistance for the injured passengers, who died shortly after… Not a single passenger raised a club…
“We were expecting the Israeli army to stop us, to prevent us from entering but surely we didn't expect such a war against us… It was 14 ships which approached us, nearly at 4.30 in the morning. Fourteen ships that I could count and one helicopter. Maybe more than 10 soldiers, I couldn't say exactly (how many) were getting out of the helicopter… On the second floor of the ship there were just passengers who are journalists, a nurse and organisers of the flotilla who didn't have anything in their hands… After 20 minutes, maybe 15 minutes, there were three dead bodies…
It ended at six, when a voice from the microphone said the ship was controlled by the Israelis, 'please enter the rooms'. Naval boats surrounded the Mavi Marmara and fired on it before soldiers abseiled aboard from a helicopter… soldiers refused her requests for medical assistance for the injured passengers, who died shortly after… israel wanted many deaths to terrorise us and to send a message that no future aid convoys should try to break the siege of Gaza… Not a single passenger... raised a club”
Haneen Zuabi
Palestinian member of the israeli Knesset
www.guardian.co.uk
english.aljazeera.net
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
A commando opened a hatch above, stuck in a machine gun, and started firing…
I never saw a single weapon in the hands of the crew or the aid workers…
“There were several guys who had two neat bullet holes side by side on the side of their head-clearly they were executed … The israelis took all the cameras and computers. They were smashing some and keeping others… when I was in the stairwell; a commando opened a hatch above, stuck in a machine gun, and started firing. Bullets were bouncing all over the place… If the guy had gotten to look in and see where he was shooting, I’d have been dead…”
“In the whole time I was there on the ship, I never saw a single weapon in the hands of the crew or the aid workers. When we came aboard the big boat, I was frisked and my bag was inspected for weapons. Being an engineer, I of course had a pocket knife, but they took that and tossed it into the ocean. Nobody was allowed to have any weapons on this voyage. They were very careful about that…”
“The men were told to squat, and had their hands bound with plastic cuffs, pulled so tight that his wrists were cut and his hands swelled up and turned purple… the captives were left without food or water… It turned out that israeli lawyers had brought our case to the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of our capture on international waters. There was a chance that the court would order the IDF to put us back on our ships and let us go, so the government wanted to get us out of israel and moot the case… I honestly never thought the israelis would board the ship. I thought we’d get into Gaza… I figured we’d be stopped, and maybe searched.”
Kevin Neish
Canadian activist aboard the Mavi Marmara
The 53-year-old from Victoria, British Columbia
who originally had been on a smaller 70-foot yacht called the Challenger II, had transferred to the Mavi Marmara after a stop in Cyprus
www.thiscantbehappening.net
The soldiers were prepared to use violence on us from the beginning…
They had no legal basis for coming on board… There were no weapons on board…
“From a distance, we saw the helicopters and the soldiers rappelling onto the deck, and we heard shots. We had no connection to the Mavi Marmara… They came in speedboats. We went onto the bridge and waited for them there, and we offered no resistance… They were carrying machine guns. They came to the bridge and told us we had to go down. Some older people were a bit slower. One of them was attacked by an electric gun in his arm, very painful. It was horrible. People were falling down. They shot rubber bullets at a man who was standing next to me. The soldiers were prepared to use violence on us from the beginning. And all of this in international waters. They had no legal basis for coming on board… They took control of the ship and set course for Israel. First it was piracy, and then it was kidnapping… It would have been very easy, and no one would have been injured or killed... They turned us into objects in a show, for which I will never forgive the Israelis. And then they took away everything we had: phones, money, clothing, credit cards. That's how each of was treated. They are thieves… There were no weapons on board, just a few Swedish civilians… The commandos arrived in helicopters. It wasn't the people on the ship who were boarding the helicopters. Besides, there is a right of self-defence in international waters… I think the Israeli soldiers deliberately provoked this reaction. They wanted to kill people… I spoke with a Swede who was on board the Mavi Marmara. He said that they shot a Palestinian in the middle of his head. That requires targeting, and it's something that has to be intended… When we gathered below deck, the soldiers searched our ship, and when they returned they said they had found weapons. What were they? Razor blades and utility knives… I can promise there was not a single weapon aboard the ships… I'm an eyewitness, because I was there. So much false information has already been disseminated, so I make an offer to people: I was on one of the six boats, and I can tell you what happened there and what it means…”
Henning Mankell
Swedish author
Aboard the Swedish aid ship Sofia
www.examiner.com
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
www.spiegel.de
They knew who we were, they stole my gear, they falsely imprisoned us when we were in international waters covering a legitimate story… equipment was confiscated from us…
“There were seventeen people onboard … Shortly after 4:00, about 4:10, 4:15, they attempted to board the Mavi Marmara… We were about 150 meters off to the port side of the ship when the israelis started lobbing sound grenades, tear-gas canisters onto the rear deck of the boat, where there was a big crowd…. They lunged for the cameras. They lunged for the satellite telephone … But everyone got pushed down onto the lower decks. One of the women who was on the upper deck at that stage had a gun pointed—a pistol pointed right at her head, unless she got off a manhatch that she was sitting on. The activists onboard engaged in passive resistance, nonviolent techniques of making it as difficult as possible for the soldiers to round up everyone on the boat. Two of the women ended up being dragged to the forward deck with bags over their heads… They knew who we were, they stole my gear, they falsely imprisoned us when we were in international waters covering a legitimate story. Anywhere between $60,000 and $80,000 worth of equipment was confiscated from us, and we have not seen it. We were not given receipts for it… while we were in detention, the systematic attempt and very deliberate first priority for the israeli soldiers as they came on the ships was to shut down the story, to confiscate all cameras, to shut down satellites, to smash the CCTV cameras that were on the Mavi Marmara, to make sure that nothing was going out. They were hellbent on controlling the story.”
Paul McGeough
Chief correspondent, Sydney Morning Herald.
Aboard the smaller, U.S.-flagged Challenger 1
www.democracynow.org
I was photographing and basically got hit on the arm just above my elbow…
We were doing our job. And it wasn’t respected…
“I was photographing and basically got hit on the arm just above my elbow, which knocked me about a meter, about a meter and a half. And then, I was immediately sick. And then the commando came toward me and then a commando wrestled my camera off me. And they had guns.. You couldn’t hide. We were doing our job. And it wasn’t respected. So, yeah, I did not appreciate it.”
Kate Geraghty
Photographer with the Sydney Morning Herald.
Aboard the smaller, U.S.-flagged Challenger 1
www.democracynow.org
Obviously, they came with live ammunition… We had all our equipment confiscated…
They came to kill…. We didn’t have guns… Some of them shot in the passengers' heads.
“The Zodiacs came and surrounded, and the helicopters had their commandos coming down. And it was chaos, total chaos…. I already saw many injured and dead bodies. It was terrifying. In the media room, the journalists were trying to hide there. But at the end of the operation, we had all our equipment confiscated. During the raid, all the people had their cameras and videos, but unfortunately everything got confiscated…. But obviously, they came with live ammunition. And minutes afterwards, we had the megaphone in our rooms, in every room on the ship, saying, "Stay quiet and calm. They’re using live ammunition. There is no way we can resist. They are taking over the ship. Just stay calm and don’t resist at all." You know? The other boats, they used rubber bullets and tear gas; they didn’t kill people. But in our ship, they came to kill…. We didn’t have guns. We were, you know, grabbing chairs. And, you know, the boys were taking like whatever they could get hold of, like broomsticks and so forth. And it was just completely disproportionate. And the injuries and the dead people started happening very quickly, to the point that—you know, you can see here in the footage. They managed to get hold of some israeli soldiers, but obviously we were so brainwashed about nonviolence as our methodology that we didn’t kill any of the israeli soldiers. Actually, when they got injured with the commotion, they actually got treated by our passengers. But the megaphone kept saying, "We are civilians. Don’t use violence. And we have extremely injured people. We need medical help, because we were not prepared medically to take care of, like, dead people. But we were ignored, and a lot of people who were injured actually ended up bleeding to death and died…
I just know that when they call us like a hate boat, this is insane, because obviously we were there to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, and they were the ones using live ammunition, to the point when they did the autopsy, the people who are found dead, they had like thirty bullets. So, can we say the israeli navy and the commandos, they came to play ball with us? No, they came to kill. They wanted to take over the ship. And we were actually … according to some research, the ship was even fleeing, because we didn’t want this kind of like heavy confrontation. But they came in the middle of international waters and overpowered us….
We were not there to lynch anybody, because we had the opportunity of killing or really like mistreating these soldiers, and we didn’t, you know, because we are humanitarian. Despite the chaos, we knew we were supposed to stay nonviolent…
Our main internet person in our media room also got shot in the head. You know, this was not like a non-premeditated…
We expected them to shoot people in the legs, to shoot in the air, just to scare people, but they were direct… Some of them shot in the passengers' heads. Many people were murdered, it was unimaginable… They said we were terrorists - it was absurd…
Everybody got handcuffed and taken … basically kidnapped from international waters to israel. And when we arrived there, they said, "Sign here," that you’re going to be deported because you’re illegally in israel. And we were, like, shocked. We didn’t want to be in israel. We were kidnapped from international waters and brought to israel. And we were completely incommunicado.”
Iara Lee
Filmmaker and director of the Cultures of Resistance network
www.democracynow.org
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
This was a very serious offence; this was a war crime… We never saw any knives…
We had not prepared in any way to fight. We didn't even consider it...
“This was not an act of self-defence (by the Israeli army), but rather it was completely disproportionate - although we were counting on our ship being blocked and maybe checked… This was a very serious offence; this was a war crime… The soldiers were all masked, carrying big guns and were extremely brutal… They had no knives, no axes, only sticks that they used to defend themselves… Personally I saw two and a half wooden batons that were used ... There was really nothing else. We never saw any knives… The israeli government justifies the raid because they were attacked. This is absolutely not the case… This was not an act of self-defence… I took photographs but my camera has been confiscated… We had not prepared in any way to fight. We didn't even consider it... No violence, no resistance - because we knew very well that we would have absolutely no chance against soldiers like this… This was an attack in international waters on a peaceful mission... This was a clear act of piracy... "
Prof. Dr. Norman Paech
Former member of Germany's Left Party
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
www.theage.com.au
arabnews.com
english.aljazeera.net
It was mere terror, creating a situation full of anxiety… It was like war...
I was travelling on diplomatic passport; they had most of my possession confiscated…
“Barbaric act… I was on the Mavi Marmara below deck, having joined Muslim women for their Islamic morning prayers when israeli special forces came onto the vessel. Shortly after the prayers had finished they heard noises and were told to put on their lifejackets. About 10 minutes later the captain announced that the ship had been taken over by the israelis and he urged them to stay calm and not to resist. And then I knew the whole thing is over and there was no chance to get to Gaza… After an hour the women were allowed to the upper deck where I saw blood and one injured person. There were soldiers everywhere, heavily armed and pointing (their guns) at us… There was an attitude of terror and humiliation. They did not allow old men to go to the toilet … It was mere terror, creating a situation full of anxiety… It was like war... They had guns, Taser weapons, some type of teargas and other weaponry, compared to two-and-a-half wooden sticks we had between us. To talk of self-defence is ridiculous... We should not remain silent as we were. The israeli government committed lots of crimes against humanity and international human rights laws. And it was tolerated by the international community and this now has to stop… I and Inge Höger were travelling on diplomatic passports, they also had most of our possessions confiscated. We were all harassed regardless of whether we were members of parliament or not. We will now be suing the israeli government.”
Annette Groth
MP, German Left Party member
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
news.nsw.uca.org.au
www.thefirstpost.co.uk
www.spiegel.de
We felt like we were in the middle of a war, like we were being kidnapped…
Nobody had a weapon… This was a clear act of piracy…
"War crime… We felt like we were in the middle of a war, like we were being kidnapped… We wanted to bring aid to Gaza. Nobody had a weapon… This was an attack in international waters on a peaceful mission ... This was a clear act of piracy… What the israelis did is a violation of international law… We were checked and our personal belongings were taken away. Then we were handcuffed with cable retainers and brought to the upper deck. They were obviously looking for weapons. They raided and slashed all the suitcases of all passengers and everything was all over the place," "
Inge Hoeger
MP, German Left Party member
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
www.theage.com.au
arabnews.com
www.thelocal.de
I saw four dead activists who had been killed by gunshots…
The soldiers used live ammunition, not rubber bullets or something…
“I saw four dead activists who had been killed by gunshots… There were at least another 50 people badly injured… The soldiers used live ammunition, not rubber bullets or something.”
Matthias Jochheim
German doctor
Aboard the Mavi Marmara
arabnews.com
www.thelocal.de