Jerusalem, July 13: A month after it drew global criticism for its deadly raid aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed, Israel is preparing to prevent a Libya sponsored aid ship sailing towards the Gaza Strip.
 Despite warnings from Israel, the vessel is said to be heading towards Gaza and is likely to come within the range of its shores tonight if it does not change its course, military officials told Israeli daily Ha’aretz.
 It is yet uncertain if the ship’s captain will head for Egyptian port of El-Arish or continue sailing towards Gaza. In its official log the vessel has El Arish as its destination.
 Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will “forcefully interdict” the ship if it stayed on course for the besieged Gaza Strip.
 Meanwhile, an internal military probe by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) into the May 31 incident aboard Turkish aid ship ‘Mavi Marmara’ released last evening has found “only professional mistakes in planning and carrying out the operation” by the Israeli navy, the newspaper said.
 According to information made public, the committee found serious flaws in intelligence gathering on the flotilla, the cooperation between various intelligence organisations, the preparation of the operational plan and the takeover itself.
 Israeli media reported that the probe report headed by Major General (res.) Giora Eiland’s was acceptable to the IDF’s General Staff.
 Despite the damning conclusions, the committee did not recommend any punitive steps against individuals involved in the planning and the execution of the operation.
 The committee’s 100-plus page report was presented yesterday to Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST