Israel holds 480 activists, expelling 48

JERUSALEM: Israel has detained 480 pro-Palestinian activists captured in its deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and will expel 48 others, public radio reported Tuesday.

Turkish demonstrators clash with Turkish police during an anti-Israeli protest in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Israeli warships stormed of flotilla of aid ships, among them Turkish vessels, early on May 31, killing between 10 and 15 people and wounding 30 others off the coast of the Gaza Stip. Turkey condemned the attack, saying the Israeli operation may lead to "irreparable consequences" in bilateral ties. -AFP Photo/Bulent Kilic

Those detained were being held at the southern Israeli prison of Ashdod, while the other 48 were being taken to Ben Gurion international airport to be sent back to their home countries, said the report.

Israeli officials would question the detainees before deciding whether to free them or prosecute them.

Another 45 activists, most of them Turkish, were being treated in various hospitals.

At least nine people were killed during the Israeli operation to take control of the boats, most of them believed to be Turkish nationals.

Israeli navy commandos stormed a Gaza-bound aid boat Monday in a pre-dawn raid that has sparked global outrage.

But the Israeli Defence Forces has blamed activists on the ship for creating the confrontation by attacking its soldiers as they boarded the vessel.

The bloody end to the operation prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Canada and postpone a trip to Washington where he had been due to meet with US President Barack Obama Tuesday. -AFP