The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine of the flotilla passengers were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence. The flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, intending to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The MV Mavi Marmara
The INS Hanit at Haifa naval base being readied for the operation
The INS Nitzachon at Haifa naval base being readied for the operation
Mavi Marmara passengers hit IDF soldiers with metal rods.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a small fleet of ships organized in 2010 by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.
Gaza Flotilla Route
Night vision binoculars found on the deck of the Mavi Marmara, along with a scope to be mounted on a sniper rifle, according to IDF
Knives, wrenches, and wooden clubs used to attack the soldiers during the flotilla raid, according to IDF
Bulletproof vests found on the deck of the Marmara, according to IDF
