Turkey withdraws its ambassador to Israel and canceled three joint military drills on Monday

Turkey, which currently holds a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council, demanded it meet about the killings,.

Three of the ships were Turkish-flagged, including the main passenger ship. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc Arinc said about 400 out of 581 passengers on the main ship, the Mavi Marmara, were Turks

According to the Israeli army on Monday, international activists aboard the flotilla of ships on their way to the Gaza Strip opened fire on IDF soldiers who boarded the ships to prevent them from breaking the Israeli-imposed sea blockade. "The flotilla's participants were not innocent and used violence against the soldiers. They were waiting for the forces' arrival". According to CNN, the organizers also declined a request by Noam Shalit, father of captive Israeli solider Gilad Shalit, to deliver aid, medicine and a letter to his son who was kidnapped by Hamas in June 2007.

Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and canceled three joint military drills

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