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NEWS MIDDLE EAST

Israel warns Lebanon aid ships

Nine people were killed when an aid flotilla  heading to Gaza was raided by Israeli soldiers on May 31 Israel has told the UN that it will use "all necessary means" to stop ships from Lebanon from carrying humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. In a letter to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, and to the Security Council on Friday, Gabriela Shalev, Israel's UN ambassador, also called on the Lebanese government to prevent the ships from leaving. Shalev said it appeared a small number of ships planned to sail from Lebanon and that while the organisers said they wished to take aid to Gaza, "the true nature of their actions remains dubious". She also called on the international community to use its influence to stop the boats departing and to discourage their nationals from taking part in the action. A group of Lebanese women activists joined by Europeans and journalists are planning to sail for Gaza in the latest bid to break Israel's blockade of the coastal enclave. International outcry International fury and condemnation erupted after Israeli soldiers stormed a six-ship aid flotilla heading for Gaza on May 31, killing eight Turks and a Turkish-American on board. IN DEPTH Israeli leaders say the troops acted in self-defence after the flotilla activists attacked them. But preliminary autopsy reports revealed that the nine activists were shot a total of 30 times, some in the back of the head or in the back. The head of the UN criticised Israel's investigation into the attack and said the inquiry lacked international credibility. The UN wants its own investigation, but Israel is refusing. Hezbollah denial Meanwhile, the Lebanese group Hezbollah has denied it was backing the all-women aid flotilla, saying it did not want to give Israel a pretext to attack peaceful aid activists. "Hezbollah confirms that it decided from the very beginning to stay away from this humanitarian act in terms of organisation, logistic support and participation so as not to give the Israeli enemy any pretext to attack the participants," Hezbollah said in a statement. "Hezbollah firmly believes this peaceful, civilian effort will succeed. The organisers had not announced a departure date for the ship, christened Mariamin honour of the Virgin Mary. Following international outcry, Israel said on Thursday that it was easing the land blockade on Gaza, which for the past three years has been controlled by a Hamas-led government. But it said the sea blockade would continue. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the blockade was illegal and described it as a violation of the Geneva Conventions.