ISRAELI naval commandos stormed a flotilla of ships carrying aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to the blockaded Gaza Strip yesterday, killing as many as 19 people in a botched raid that provoked international outrage and a diplomatic crisis.

TURKEY’S prime minister yesterday vowed to put everyone who conspired against the country’s democracy on trial as more military officers were arrested.

Israel will step up military operations in the Gaza Strip, including a more intensive air campaign and the possible demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes, in response to recent fighting in the area, Israeli officials said today.