Gaza flotilla citizens due back from Israel today

Five Irish citizens arrived in Turkey last night after being deported along with a crowd of 488 activists from the Gaza-bound aid flotilla seized by Israeli commandos on Monday.

Israel's prime minister denounced some of them as "violent supporters of terrorism".

A crowd of about 1,000 people, some chanting anti-Israeli slogans, welcomed the three planes at Istanbul airport as they arrived in the early hours of the morning.

The planes were also carrying the bodies of nine people killed when Israeli commandos took control of the six aid vessels in Monday's operation.

Four of the Irish passport holders are expected to travel to Dublin today. A fifth man was taken to hospital in Ankara last night.

It has been reported that he was injured in a scuffle with Israeli security forces on land while in custody.