Gaza Aid Flotilla Raid

Succumbing to an international investigation for its army's action for the first time, Israel on Monday agreed for a UN probe into the bloody May 31 raid by its commandos on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a development described by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as "unprecedented."Israeli naval commandos, airdropped on a Turkish aid ship deck to enforce their co...

Israel's cabinet on Sunday gave its approval to ease the three-year land blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow all "civilian" goods into the enclave in a bid to quell mounting international criticism following a bloody sea raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Hamas-run territory.

The bloody raid by Israel's naval commandos on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month suffered from "serious defects", including inadequate preparation and lack of sufficient intelligence, an internal probe has concluded.

While still insisting that its blockade of Gaza is essential to its security, the Israeli government is now shifting its position, "exploring new ways" of allowing goods to reach the coastal enclave, an Israeli official said Thursday.

A day after Israeli commandoes raided an aid flotilla seeking to breach the blockade of Gaza, Israel held more than 600 activists seized aboard the convoy on Tuesday as news reports said activists may be planning a fresh attempt to ferry supplies to the Hamas-run enclave.

Israel's deadly commando raid on Monday on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza complicated President Obama's efforts to move ahead on Middle East peace negotiations and introduced a new strain into an already tense relationship between the United States and Israel.

Israel's regional allies froze military ties as angry protests erupted over the storming of aid ships bound for Gaza, while Muslim leaders demanded swift UN action to punish the "criminal" assault.

Succumbing to an international investigation for its army's action for the first time, Israel on Monday agreed for a UN probe into the bloody May 31 raid by its commandos on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a development described by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as "unprecedented."Israeli naval commandos, airdropped on a Turkish aid ship deck to enforce their co...

Israel's cabinet on Sunday gave its approval to ease the three-year land blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow all "civilian" goods into the enclave in a bid to quell mounting international criticism following a bloody sea raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Hamas-run territory.

The bloody raid by Israel's naval commandos on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month suffered from "serious defects", including inadequate preparation and lack of sufficient intelligence, an internal probe has concluded.

While still insisting that its blockade of Gaza is essential to its security, the Israeli government is now shifting its position, "exploring new ways" of allowing goods to reach the coastal enclave, an Israeli official said Thursday.

A day after Israeli commandoes raided an aid flotilla seeking to breach the blockade of Gaza, Israel held more than 600 activists seized aboard the convoy on Tuesday as news reports said activists may be planning a fresh attempt to ferry supplies to the Hamas-run enclave.

Israel's deadly commando raid on Monday on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza complicated President Obama's efforts to move ahead on Middle East peace negotiations and introduced a new strain into an already tense relationship between the United States and Israel.

Israel's regional allies froze military ties as angry protests erupted over the storming of aid ships bound for Gaza, while Muslim leaders demanded swift UN action to punish the "criminal" assault.