Killing activists on Gaza Freedom Flotilla was "inevitable"

The shooting and killing of peace activists on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla almost a year ago was inevitable claim two Israeli journalists who have revealed the contents of secret documents detailing Israeli plans for attacking the ships. According to Dan Margalit and Ronen Bergman, the head of Israel’s Southern Command, General Yoav Galant, had warned more than a year ago of the consequences of trying to seize the flotilla of ships taking humanitarian aid to the besieged territory.

Galant’s warning came in a discussion within Israel’s military High Command. The general said that the proposed boarding technique, an “air drop operation”, would not only “endanger soldiers’ lives” but would also mean that the soldiers would “have no choice but to open fire and kill many activists”.

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Nine peace activists were killed and many others were wounded when Israeli commandos boarded the ships from helicopters on 31 May 2010 while the flotilla was in international waters. The ships were taken under escort to an Israeli port and the surviving passengers were flown out of Israel following a short imprisonment and interrogation.