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MV Mavi Marmara leaving Antalya for Gaza on May 22, 2010
History
Comoros
Name	MV Mavi Marmara
Owner	IHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı)
Operator	IHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı)
Builder	Türkiye Gemi Sanayi A.Ş.
Yard number	302
Completed	November 9, 1994
Homeport	Moroni, Comoros (2010). Previously Istanbul, Turkey
Identification	IMO number: 9005869
General characteristics
Class and type	Passenger ship
Tonnage	4,142 GT GT uses unsupported parameter (help)
Length	93 m (305 ft)
Beam	20 m (66 ft)
Draft	4 m (13 ft)
Installed power	4,400 kW
Propulsion	2
Speed	max. 9.9 knots (18.3 km/h; 11.4 mph)- avg. 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph)
Capacity	1,080 passengers

MV Mavi Marmara (Template:Lang-en, where MV is an abbreviation of motor vessel) is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co. in 1994, the ship has a capacity of 1,080 passengers.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla

The ship was purchased in 2010 by the IHH, an Islamic Turkish NGO active as a charity organization in more than 115 countries. The group has represented its Turkish language name in English in various ways, "IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation" among them. It has held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2004, and is endorsed by international figures that include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire. Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an NGO with close ties to the Israeli Defense Forces, along with multiple Israeli governmental officials have alleged that the IHH supports terrorism, has smuggled arms on behalf of terrorist groups, and has links to al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups. The IHH denies these claims, and Greta Berlin, a director of the Free Gaza Movement, called the claims "utterly scurrilous", characterizing them as an attempt by the Israeli government to discredit the movement.In 2010, the US State Department expressed great concern over the group's links with senior Hamas officials.

The IHH acquired the Mavi Marmara at a cost of $800,000, to be defrayed by public donations, as no shipowner was willing to risk their vessel on the journey. The ship took part in a flotilla of ships operated by activist groups from 37 different countries with the intention of directly confronting the Israeli blockade over Gaza.

The Boarding of the Marvi Marmara

On the 31 May 2010 in the early morning at 4:30 IST, the Israeli Navy radioed Tural Mahmut, the captain of the Mavi Marmara, sending him this message: "Mavi Marmara, you are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbour are closed to all maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Gaza Strip and invites you to enter Ashdod port. Delivery of supplies will be in accordance with the authorities' regulations and through the formal land crossing to Gaza and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports aboard the vessels on which you arrived." The reply was: "Negative, negative. Our destination is Gaza." The boarding operation began with an attempt to board the ship from speedboats. As the boats approached, activists fired water hoses at them, and pelted them with a variety of objects. The Israelis replied with paintballs and stun grenades. One stun grenade was picked up and tossed back into a boat. When the commandos tried boarding the ship, activists cut the ladders with electric disc saws. The boats then turned slightly away from the ship, but remained close.

The IDF then sent in a Black Hawk helicopter with a 15-man assault team on board. According to the IDF, the commandos fired warning shots and dropped stun grenades prior to abseiling onto the ship. The UNHRC report on the incident concluded that the Israeli soldiers were firing live rounds from the helicopter before they landed anyone on the ship. Passengers reported gunfire, blue flares and deafening noise from the first helicopter at this time. Al Jazeera journalist Jamal Elshayyal stated that he saw one man shot in the head and others wounded. Robert Mackey of The New York Times suggested that the passengers on the ship may have mistaken flash grenades and paintball guns for deadly weapons, which enraged them. Activists and crew members used gas masks.

A rope was dropped from the helicopter onto the ship, but three activists seized it and tied it to the deck. A second rope was dropped and the soldiers abseiled onto the deck. Each soldier was met with a team of resisting activists, throwing them off balance and assaulting them with makeshift weapons. The IDF also reported that a firebomb was thrown at soldiers. During The Israeli commandos responded with their less-lethal weaponry and attempted to physically fight off activists.

Three Israeli commandos were captured. The first captured soldier, the commanding officer of the assault team, was abseiling from the helicopter when he was attacked by ten men before his feet hit the deck. He was beaten across his body and head, then picked up and thrown to the lower deck, where he was attacked by a dozen activists. They beat and choked him, removed his bulletproof vest and sidearm and smashed his helmet, and shoved him into a passenger hall below deck. The second soldier was surrounded by a team of fifteen to twenty activists in two groups. One group attacked him when he landed on the ship's roof. He fired one shot at an activist holding a knife before being subdued. The activists seized his gun and beat him as he attempted to fight them off with his back to the hull. He was picked up by his arms and legs, and thrown over the hull. He attempted to hang on to the hull with both hands, but was forced to let go when activists beat his hands and pulled him down by his legs. He was then surrounded by another group of activists, stabbed in the stomach and was dragged into a lounge while being beaten. A third soldier who was lowered onto the deck saw an activist waiting to attack him with an iron crowbar. After shoving him away, he was attacked by four more activists, one of whom wrapped a chain around his neck and choked him until he lost consciousness. He was then thrown onto the bridge deck where he was attacked by about twenty activists, who beat him, cut away his equipment, and dragged him into the lounge. The three soldiers were severely wounded and bleeding heavily. Two of the soldiers had their hands tied, and a third was unconscious and went into convulsions. During their captivity, they were subjected to physical and verbal abuse, and photographed and filmed. One of the soldiers claimed that he was beaten after he began moving and yelling that one of the soldiers needed a doctor, and another said that he was placed onto a couch, beaten, and threatened that he would be beaten every time he moved. Although radical activists attempted to harm them further, more moderate passengers intervened and protected the soldiers. Two were given water and one with a severe stomach wound was given a gauze pad. Hasan Huseyin Uysal, a Turkish doctor, cleaned the blood off their faces and tended to facial cuts.

Israel and the flotilla activists disagreed over whether guns seized from the captive soldiers were used by the activists. Commandos reported that at least two of the captive soldiers had their sidearms wrested away, and that there was live fire against them at a later stage. According to the IDF, activists also used firearms that they brought along with them, as investigators found bullet casings not matching IDF-issued guns. The IDF reported that the second soldier to descend from the first helicopter was shot in the stomach, and another soldier was shot in the knee. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that activists also seized three stun grenades from soldiers.

After the third soldier was thrown from the roof, the commandos requested and received permission to use live fire. The soldiers then opened fire with pistols, and activists dispersed to the front and back of the roof after taking casualties. An IDF medical officer on board located a secure spot, and oversaw treatment of injured soldiers. A second helicopter carrying 12 soldiers arrived over the ship. As the helicopter approached, activists attacked the IDF commandos, who repulsed them with gunshots aimed at their legs. At the same time, the speedboats trailing the ship approached again. They were met with a barrage of objects, including iron balls from slingshots, and allegedly with a burst of gunfire, forcing the boats to pull back again.

Soldiers from the second helicopter successfully slid down and moved to gain control of the front of the roof and secure the lower decks. Passengers attacked them, and were dispersed with shots fired towards their legs. The first attempt to secure the lower decks was met with violent resistance, allegedly including live fire. Shortly afterward, a third helicopter arrived, carrying 14 soldiers. They successfully abseiled onto the ship, and the commander from the third helicopter met up with the commander from the second helicopter, after which the forces began moving towards the ship's bridge. They were attacked twice by activists, and responded with gunfire. The commandos reached the bridge after thirty minutes, and took command. Upon orders from the soldiers, the captain instructed all activists to enter their cabins. At this stage, most of the activists assembled on the sides of the ship retreated into the hull. The speedboats approached for a third time, and most of the remaining activists again hurled objects at the boats. Soldiers inside the boats then opened fire, taking careful aim to hit the resisting passengers and forcing the activists to disperse, enabling the soldiers to board from ladders. The soldiers were met with resistance, and responded with live fire. They managed to fight their way to the roof, where they met up with the rest of the force. An assessment was made, and three soldiers were found to be missing. A force was prepared to rush the passenger halls and locate the soldiers. According to the IDF, soldiers spotted activists escorting the three captive soldiers onto the deck. One of the captive soldiers claimed that the activist guarding him waved to one of the IDF naval vessels to show that they were holding Israeli soldiers. At that point, he elbowed the activist in the ribs and jumped into the water, although the guard tried to hold him back. A second soldier also jumped into the water, while the third remained unconscious on the deck. IDF soldiers dispersed the activists with non-lethal weapons, and rescued the unconscious soldier, while the two soldiers in the water were picked up by the speedboats. According to some accounts by activists and journalists, the captive soldiers were released after negotiations mediated by Haneen Zoabi, in which the IDF agreed to airlift the wounded in exchange for their release. The UN report of the incident stated that knives from the ship's kitchens (plus one traditional, ceremonial knife), some catapults (slingshots) and metal pipes the passengers cut from the ship's railings were found. Turkey unveiled its final report on Israeli attack on Gaza-bound aid convoy on 11 Feb 2011.

Release and return home

Israeli government decided on July 23, 2010 to release the three ships of the Gaza Freedom flotilla, two of which were forced to moor at the Port of Haifa and the third one at the Port of Ashdod since then. To bring the ships back home, three tugboats were dispatched from Turkey. Mavi Marmara was towed by Ocean Ergun in a two-day ride to the Port of Iskenderun arriving an August 7, 2010.

The damage on the ship was visible from far even though nobody was permitted to board her due to investigations underway by the public prosecutor and insurance people. There were some broken windows on the ship and also bullet holes on the glass of the pilothouse. The IHH emblem on the ship's port side was over-painted white. Forensic teams identified some 250 bullet holes in the ship, many of which were painted or plastered over by Israel.

The ship returned to Istanbul harbour on December 26, 2010, in a welcoming ceremony attended by thousands.

Freedom Flotilla II

A coalition of 22 NGOs announced on 9 May 2011 that Freedom Flotilla II was planned for the third week of June. The Financial Times reported on 17 June 2011 that the Mavi Marmara would not be sailing, as previously announced. The IHH said that after damage caused last year to the ship, that it was not in a position to put to sea. The group stressed that it would still be part of the new flotilla; members of the group will board other ships in the effort.

Ship's registry

• ex MS Beydağı

Sister ships

• MS TDI Karadeniz, since renamed MS Dream.

References

1. ^ "Turkish rights group's cargo ship to set sail with Gaza aid". Hürriyet. 13 May 2010.
2. ^ "Mavi Marmara" (in Turkish). Tür Gemileri. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
3. ^ "Detay Gemi Listesi" (PDF) (in Turkish). Izmir Maritime Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2010-05-31. |
4. ^ "MS Mavi Marmara". Digital Seas. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
5. ^ "M/S Mavi Marmara" (in Turkish). Marine Traffic. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
6. ^ "Mavi Marmara Yolcu Gemisi" (in Turkish). IDO. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
7. "İsrail 'uluslararası suları' kabul etti". 1 June 2010.
8. ^ "Profile: Free Gaza Movement". BBC News. BBC. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
9. "IHH Statement Regarding The Israeli Report". IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation continues to insist on its request for an international probe to independently investigate the Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara.
10. "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, The". NGO Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
11. "List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as of 1 September 2009" (PDF). United Nations Economic and Social Council. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
12. ^ Spencer, Richard (31 May 2010). "Gaza flotilla: the Free Gaza Movement and the IHH". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 April 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
13. "US concerned over IHH-Hamas ties". The Jerusalem Post. 06 March 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. . 31 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |Website= ignored (|website= suggested) (help)
15. ^ "Death in the Med". BBC News. BBC. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 September 2010. See also possible alternate availability {{cite news}}: External link in |postscript= (help)CS1 maint: postscript (link)
16. IDF timeline part 1 2010, 5:57–6:19. sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_12010 (help)
17. IDF timeline part 1 2010, 6:20–6:29. sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_12010 (help)
18. "Israeli PM 'regrets' deaths as troops storm aid ships". BBC. 31 May 2010.
19. Katz, Yaakov (4 June 2010). "'We had no choice'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
20. UNHRC report 2010, p. 26. sfn error: no target: CITEREFUNHRC_report2010 (help)
21. Friedman, Matti (2 June 2010). "Details emerge of bloodshed aboard Gaza-bound ship". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
22. "Witnesses cast doubt on Israel's convoy raid account". BBC News. 1 June 2010.
23. ^ "Interview with Jamal Elshayyal". Al Jazeera English. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
24. Mackey, Robert (4 June 2010). "Israelis Explain, and Mock, Flotilla Clash". New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
25. IDF timeline part 1 2010, 6:48–6:59. sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_12010 (help)
26. Nahmias, Roee (31 May 2010). "Casualties reported during IDF raid on Gaza sail". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
27. "Activists' eyewitness accounts detail Israeli raid on Gaza aid ship". Hürriyet. 3 June 2010.
    • "İHH chief tells of violence, chaos on international aid ship". Today's Zaman. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
    • "Eyewitness Kevin Ovenden from the Freedom Flotilla: 'I saw people shot'". Socialist Worker. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
    • Kevin Ovenden (7 June 2010). "An act of state terrorism". SocialistWorker.org. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
    • Siegel, Judy (1 June 2010). "Red Cross visits wounded activists". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
28. Ed Barnes. Reuters Admits Cropping Photos of Ship Clash, Denies Political Motive. June 08, 2010. Fox News
29. ^ Raved, Ahiya (31 May 2010). "'20 people threw me from deck'". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
30. Meir Amit report 2010, p. 21. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
31. Meir Amit report 2010, p. 20. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
32. Meir Amit report 2010, pp. 3, 7 (see footnote), 20. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
33. ^ Ynet (10 June 2010). "Turkish doctor who treated soldiers says more humane". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
34. "Finding of the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust – Panorama:Death in the Med" (PDF). p. 48.. Ken O'Keefe, one of the activists, said "What I do know for sure is that I had one of their guns... And if I wanted to use that gun I could easily have used it... But I didn’t do that and I did not see anybody from IHH use a weapon. If we wanted to we could have used weapons and killed some of their soldiers. That is a fact."
35. "Israeli military gives version of flotilla incident". CNN. 31 May 2010.
36. Ynet (31 May 2010). "IDF chief: No connection between Gaza sail and peace efforts". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
37. "Israelis saw flotilla as political provocation that had to be stopped". The Irish Times. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
38. Meir Amit report 2010, p. 8. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
39. Williams, Dan (24 October 2010). "Israelis Fired 308 Bullets Aboard Gaza Ship". Reuters. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
40. ^ Ben-Yishai, Ron (31 May 2010). "A brutal ambush at sea". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
41. IDF timeline part 1 2010, 7:48–8:39 (end). sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_12010 (help)
42. Meir Amit report 2010, p. 5. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
43. IDF timeline part 2 2010, 0:00–2:21. sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_22010 (help)
44. IDF timeline part 2 2010, 2:22–3:04. sfn error: no target: CITEREFIDF_timeline_part_22010 (help)
45. Meir Amit report 2010, p. 16. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeir_Amit_report2010 (help)
46. Harel, Amos (4 June 2010). "Israel Navy: 3 commandos nearly taken hostage in Gaza flotilla raid". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
47. Nahmias, Roee (9 June 2010). "Egyptian lawmaker slammed for speaking of beaten troops". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    • Ynet and agencies (7 June 2010). "Soldiers thought we would kill them". Ynetnews. Tel Aviv. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
    • Yara Bayoumy (3 June 2010). "Israeli marines were held during ship raid-witness: Soldiers freed after Israel agreed to airlift wounded". Reuters. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
    • "Gaza flotilla captain: Activists prepared attack against IDF raid". Haaretz. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010.
48. "Turkey unveils its final report on Israeli attack on Gaza-bound aid convoy". Turkish Press. 11 Feb 2011.
49. "Mavi Marmara gemisi Türkiye doğru yola çıkıyor". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2010-08-04.
50. "'Mavi Marmara' İskenderun'da". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2010-08-07.
51. Radikal (in Turkish). 2010-08-10 http://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalDetay&ArticleID=1013066&Date=11.08.2010&CategoryID=77. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
52. "Thousands greets Mavi Marmara aid ship". Today's Zaman. 2010-12-26.
53. "A Year After Israeli Raid, 2nd Flotilla to Set Sail for Gaza". The New York Times. 11 May 2011.
54. Turkish flagship pulls out of Gaza flotilla

External links

Media related to M/S Mavi Marmara at Wikimedia Commons
Cite error: There are <ref group=text> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=text}} template (see the help page).

• Maritime incidents in 2010
• Passenger ships of Turkey
• Ships built in Turkey
• 1994 ships
• Gaza flotilla raid