Israeli naval commandos stormed a six ship convoy carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on an aid mission to blockaded Gaza strip killing at least 10 people and wounding 60 others, most of them Turkish nationals, sparking an international condemnation.
    
But the Turkish charity involved with the tragedy claimed 15 people were shot dead.
    
Some 700 pro-Palestinian activists were on board the six-ship flotilla, including 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland, European legislators and an elderly Holocaust survivor.
    
However, the Israeli Army said 10 activists were killed when its forces came under fire while intercepting the convoy which defied the Israeli blockade.
    
"Navy fighters took control of all the six ships that tried to violate the naval blockade," Israeli army spokesman said.
    
The spokesman said that "our troops were attacked with deadly force by people on the boats with iron bars, knives and live fires."
    
The incident came international waters off the Gaza coast and Turkey's NTV said more than 60 people were wounded.
    
The Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon accused the pro-Palestinian activists on board the six ships of having ties with Hamas and al Qaida.
    
"It was a provocation. On the deck we found weapons which were used against our forces. The organisers intent was violent and the results were unfortunate.
    
Israel regrets the loss of life," Ayalon said.
 
"During the takeover, the soldiers encountered serious physical violence by the protesters, who attacked them with live fire," the Israeli spokesman added.
    
The IDF also said that two of its navy commandos were attacked and wounded, apparently when the activists seize their weapons and attacked them.

"Violent Resistance"
    
According to the army, commandos who stormed the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara, the largest vessel in the convoy, encountered violent resistance from activists armed with sticks and knives.
    
The IDF said its rules of engagement allowed troops to open fire in what it called a "life-threatening situation".
    
Elite troops from Shayetet 13, a naval commando unit, boarded the protest boats at around 4:00 am amid reports that the Gaza aid flotilla had changed course to avoid a confrontation with Israeli warships.
    
The Israeli naval vessels reportedly made contact earlier with the six-ship flotilla, which was carrying 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid and supplies to Gaza.     

The Israeli navy was operating under the assumption that the activists manning the boats would not heed their calls to turn around, and Israeli troops were prepared to board the ships and steer them away from the Gaza shores and toward the Israeli port city of Ashdod.
    
Huwaida Arraf, one of the flotilla organisers, said the six-ship flotilla began the journey from international waters off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday afternoon after two days of delays.
    
According to organisers, the flotilla was expected to reach Gaza, about 400 kilometres away, on Monday afternoon, and two more ships would follow in a second wave.
    
The flotilla was fully prepared for the different scenarios that might arise, and organisers were hopeful that Israeli authorities would do what's right and not stop the convoy, one of the organisers said.
    
"We fully intend to go to Gaza regardless of any intimidation or threats of violence against us," Arraf said adding,"They are going to have to forcefully stop us."
    
After nightfall, three Israeli navy missile boats left their base in Haifa, heading out to sea to confront the activists' ships.
    
Israel Radio broadcast a recording of one of the missile boats warning the flotilla not to approach Gaza a little later.
    
"If you ignore this order and enter the blockaded area, the Israeli navy will be forced to take all the necessary measures in order to enforce this blockade," the radio message said.
    
The flotilla, which includes three cargo ships and three passenger ships, is trying to draw attention to Israel's three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.
    
The boats are carrying items that Israel bars from reaching Gaza, like cement and other building materials.
    
The activists said they also were carrying hundreds of electric-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes and water purifiers.
    
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that after a security check, permitted humanitarian aid confiscated from the boats will be transferred to Gaza through authorised channels.
    
However, Israel would not transfer items it has banned from Gaza under its blockade rules, for example, cement would be allowed only if it is tied to a specific project, Palmor said.

Continued Effort

This is the ninth time that the Free Gaza movement has tried to ship in humanitarian aid to Gaza since August 2008.
    
Israel has let ships through five times, but has blocked them from entering Gaza waters since the three-week military offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers in January 2009.
    
The flotilla bound for Gaza is the largest to date was was condemned by Israel as a "provocation" with a vow to block it from reaching Gaza.
    
Israeli military officials had warned that they hoped to resolve the situation peacefully but were prepared for all scenarios.
    
Naval commandos had been training for days in anticipation of the standoff. Palmor said foreigners on the ships would be sent back to their countries.
    
Activists who did not willingly agree to be deported would be detained at a special facility set up in the port city of Ashdod.
    
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the incident as "massacre".
    
"What Israel has committed on board the Freedom Flotilla was a massacre," Abbas was quoted as saying by the official Wafa news agency.
    
Turkey has also condemned Israel's actions, denouncing them as "unacceptable" and summoning Israel's ambassador to discuss the incident.
    
"[The interception on the convoy] is unacceptable . Israel will have to endure the consequences of this behaviour," the Turkish Foreign Ministry was quoted by Channel 10 as saying.
    
Earlier, Ayalon said, "We asked to transfer the aid through legitimate means. We promise that the aid will be transferred through the Red Cross and through our people."
    
The deputy foreign minister accused the activists of failing to obey the Israeli army's non-violent calls that led to the incident.
    
"After the repeated calls, which were unanswered by the people on the boats, they were told that they would not be able to break the blockade", he asserted.
    
"No sovereign state would tolerate such violence against a law-abiding state and its people. We call on all relevant elements to work together to solve the situation," Ayalon added.