At least 9 dead as raid condemned worldwide

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.

Dozens of activists and six Israeli soldiers were wounded in the bloody predawn confrontation in international waters. The violent takeover dealt another blow to Israel’s international image, already tarnished by war crimes accusations in Gaza and its three-year-old blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a much-anticipated meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington today, in a sign of just how gravely Israel viewed the uproar.