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Israel admits flotilla 'mistakes' | Israel admits flotilla 'mistakes' |
(40 minutes later) | |
The aid flotilla was trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip | The aid flotilla was trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip |
An Israeli military probe into the naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla says commandos were under-prepared and mistakes were made at a senior level. | |
The report says the use of force was the only way to stop the flotilla, but the operation suffered from flawed intelligence and inadequate planning. | |
Commanders also relied too heavily on a single plan, Israel says. | |
Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in the naval raid in international waters, which provoked a major outcry. | |
The report criticised a lack of co-ordination between military and intelligence bodies and it said preparations for the 31 May takeover of the ships were inadequate. | |
As they dropped from helicopters on to the deck of one vessel, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli forces were met with a violent reception, from some of those on board who were armed with clubs and knives and at least one gun, found the report. | |
As he presented the findings to media in Tel Aviv, retired general Giora Eiland, who chaired the panel tasked with scrutinising the operation, said the use of force had been necessary. | |
But he added: "Mistakes were made in the various decisions taken, including within relatively senior ranks, which contributed to the result not being as we would have wished," reports news agency AFP. | |
"In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process." | "In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process." |
This is the first of two inquiries and looks at the military aspects of the operation. The wider ramifications - political and legal - will be examined in another inquiry. | |
Israel has resisted calls for a UN-led inquiry into the raid, saying it would be biased. | |
The operation prompted an international backlash and has severely strained Israel's relations with its once-close Muslim ally Turkey. | |
Amid the criticism, Israel eased its land blockade on the Gaza Strip, allowing most civilian goods through. | |
The naval blockade remains in place. Israel says it is necessary to keep weapons from reaching the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls Gaza. |