(JTA) — The Turkish ship that was the scene of bloodshed during a 2010 Israeli raid will not be sailing in a planned flotilla to Gaza.
The Mavi Marmara will not participate in the flotilla aimed at breaking Israel’s sea blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory. IHH, the Turkish Islamic charity behind the flotilla effort, said in a Friday news conference that the ship did not gain necessary approval from Turkish port authorities for technical reasons.
On May 31, 2010 nine Turks were killed aboard the Mavi Marmara when violence broke out as Israeli commandos raided the ship during the first Gaza-bound flotilla. The new flotilla is scheduled to set out for Gaza on June 25.
The Israeli military has vowed to prevent ships from breaking its blockade.
“We will do anything we have to do to prevent a boat from breaking the blockade,” an Israeli naval official said in a Thursday briefing, according to The New York Times. “If there is the same violence against our forces on board, there is a pretty good chance there will be injuries.”
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