Witnesses cast doubt on Israel's convoy raid account

German pro-Palestinian activist Norman Paech said he had seen only wooden sticks waved as troops are lowered to the deck of the ship.

Israel says the soldiers were attacked with "knives, clubs and other weapons and opened fire in self-defense.

The incident led to widespread condemnation and UN has called for an investigation.
The six ships, supported and activists, had sailed from Cyprus in an attempt to Israel blockade of the Gaza Strip to break.

"This was not an act of self defense," said Mr Paech, a politician, when he returned to Berlin, dressed in a blue blanket.

"Personally, I saw two and half wooden sticks that were used ... There was really nothing else. We never saw no knife.

"This was an attack in international waters on a peaceful mission ... This was a clear act of piracy," he added.

Mr Paech was a passenger in the passenger Turkish Mavi Marmara where most, if not all, of the deaths voorgedaan.

Fellow German activist Inge Hoeger said they were on the ship "for peaceful purposes".

"We wanted to help transport to Gaza," she said. "Nobody had a gun."

She added: "We were aware that this would not be an easy cruise over the sea in order to deliver the goods to Gaza. But we did not expect this kind of brutality."

Activist Bayram Kalyon, arriving back in Istanbul, was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara.

"The captain told us ..." They were shooting randomly, they break windows and enter inside. So you should get out as soon as possible. " That was our last conversation with him. "

Diplomatic sources in Ankara said at least four of the dead were Turkish. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was a "massacre" and should be punished. He said that Israel should Turkey not wait to test.
UN criticism

Further criticism of Israel came from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.

In an interview with news agency AFP said the Israeli blockade of Gaza was responsible for the deadly raid.

"If Israelis to my call and the call of the international community by lifting the blockade of Gaza, this tragic incident would not have happened," he said.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Israel to people and boats seized was released.

He spoke after an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels called by Turkey ..
Renewed violence broke out in Gaza on Tuesday, reportedly with five Palestinians slain by Israeli fire.

Two Palestinian gunmen were shot dead after crossing the border in the south of the territory, a military spokesman.

Three more people deceased in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza, according to Gaza emergency services. Israel said it carried out an air strike after two rockets were fired from Gaza.

After the Israeli invasion sea-born, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza be opened.

The Rafah crossing has been closed since 2007, although special medical cases are sometimes allowed through.

The Egyptian news agency said that the last hole was through humanitarian aid. It is not clear how long it will open.

The UN Security Council issued a statement after deliberation by the night.

She said that an investigation should be "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent". Also condemned the "facts" that led to the death.
Barbara Plett, a BBC correspondent UN in New York, said the statement was the result of a compromise between Turkey and the United States, an ally of Israel.

In its defense, Israel released photos show soldiers landing on the Turkish ship and apparently attacked.

Aria Shaliker captain of the Israel Defense Forces, which was part of the operation Monday, said the commandos launched raids armed with paint ball guns.

"I was myself, one of the boats, the Israeli boats approaching the fleet," he told the BBC's World Today program.

"It is true that the Israeli unit commander ... came on board with paint ball weapon ... with a view to [people] to spread if there was violence. They were ready for a violent demonstration at ... aboard the fleet, especially in the big boat, the Marmara.

"Nobody really expects that such a violent outcome of what happened.
"First, you know, the soldiers tried to distribute, but at the end when they were shot, you know ... when was shooting the other hand, there is no other way than turning to paint ball to live ammunition. "

Of the 679 activists took to the Israeli port of Ashdod, only 50 agreed to voluntary deportation and more than 30 are treated in hospital for their injuries, reports the BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem.

That means nearly 600 people from different countries, are still held in detention facilities throughout Israel and is questioned by the authorities.