Emotion high as Turkey buries its Gaza flotilla dead

Emotions are running high in Turkey over the funerals of nine activists of Turkish or of Turkish origin, was killed in Israel raid on Gaza to help the fleet.

The bodies were flown from Israel to Istanbul, along with more than 450 activists, heroes welcome ".

Israel has said that there is no need for an international investigation of the incident, takes his own meet "the highest international standards".

UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted earlier to set up an investigation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his soldiers had no choice but to stop the boat.

He argued the fleet was not to deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans, but to break the Israeli blockade.

It was a duty to defend Israel, missiles and other weapons were smuggled into Gaza to Hamas, Iran and others, "he said.

Turkey, one of the few allies in the Muslim world, Israel, recalled its ambassador after the incident on Monday.
'Barbarism and oppression'

Its president, Abdullah Gul, said relations between the two countries would "never be the same."
"This incident left a deep scar and irreparable" about relationships, told reporters in Ankara.

In a fiery speech at the airport in Istanbul, Bulent Arinc Deputy Prime Minister accused Israel of "piracy" and "barbarism and oppression."

Crowds of people, some wearing a Palestinian-style scarves, gathered in the city to meet the coffin, draped in Turkish flags, the Ottoman-era mosque-Fatih.

Funerals were held in a strongly Islamic part of town, and emotions were running high, the BBC reported Bethany Bell.

One of the bodies should be buried in Istanbul, while eight others were taken to their home towns, AFP news agency.

Turkish post-mortem examination revealed all nine of the dead had been shot, some at close range.

The dead include 19-year-old Turkish national with a U.S. passport - hit by four bullets in the head and once in the chest - a national taekwondo athlete, Turkish media say.

The bodies arrived, along with 450 activists in three aircraft leased by the Turkish Government at the Istanbul airport in the early hours of Thursday, after several hours delay.

Mr Arinc said that his government will greet the Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Assistance (IHH), who played a major role in organizing the convoy - Israel charity accused of supporting terrorism.
IHH leader Bulent Yildrim said after his arrival back to Istanbul that he believed the death toll could be higher than nine, as his organization had a longer list of missing persons.

British activist Sarah Colbourne told the BBC: "I could not even count the number of ships that were in the water. It was literally bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was terrible, absolutely terrible."

Swedish author Henning Mankell, who was aboard one of the ships in the fleet, has rejected the idea that the weapons were made according to activists.

"On the ship I was on notice that the one weapon: my razor. And actually came and showed her my razor, so you can see what level it was at" the author of popular detective novels Wallander told Swedish radio.
'Double standard'

Consular staff were on hand in Istanbul to assist activists in other countries. They include 34 people who hold British passports.
Doctors in Ankara, where some of the seriously injured were taken, saying that people were treating bullet wounds. Three people are in intensive care.

Seven other activists are in serious condition and will remain in Israeli hospitals, until they move, Israeli officials say.

Another plane carrying 31 activists of the Greek, three French nationals and one American flew to Athens on Thursday shortly.

More than 100 relatives and supporters cheered and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans at the airport.

Rejection of proposed HRC investigation, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the external demands inquiry showed a double standard against the Jewish state.

When they were Americans or Britons accused of killing civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan, said it was in the U.S. or Britain, which conducted the investigation, not an international organization.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman suggested, linked to international observers, the Israeli internal investigation.

"We have excellent lawyers ... one of whom will be willing to take, and if they want to include some sort of international members in the committee, that's okay too," he told Israel radio.

U.S., Israel's most important ally, has made it clear that it will accept an Israeli-led investigation, the BBC's Andrew North reports from Jerusalem.
New ships

Talk in Gaza is now turning to another ship on its journey across the Mediterranean Sea to try to break the blockade, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from the area.
Rachel Corrie - the exercise of 15 people, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire - were to be part of the original fleet, but was postponed due to technical problems.

The ship could be in the region on Saturday, our correspondent reports. Israel has said it will not be allowed to dock in Gaza.

"Everyone was very angry at what happened to [the fleet]," Irish crew member Derek Graham told Reuters news agency by telephone.

"Everyone was more determined than ever to continue to Gaza."

Meanwhile, some 10,000 tons of assistance from the fleet seized by Israel was returned to the Israeli port of Ashdod after being left stranded at Gaza-Israel crossing.

The government of Hamas in Gaza refuses to accept help in the Israeli-Arab activists were released from the fleet.