Gaza Latest: UN's Flotilla Interviews Start, More Aid Ships?, Worry Over Hamas Missiles

UN Flotilla Hearings: The UN Human Rights Council commission, headed by Karl Hudson-Phillips, former judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), conducted eight days of hearings in Turkey on Israel’s deadly attack in May on the Mavi Marmara. The commission then moved to Jordan on Monday.

Hanin Zoabi, a member of the Israeli Knesset who was a Flotilla passenger, and six other people have been interviewed. Zoabi told UN officials that Israeli commandos were on a mission to kill. She told The Associated Press:

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It was evident from the beginning that the commandoes viewed all of us activists as terrorists. Israel's use of large numbers of elite troops with sophisticated weaponry showed it intended to kill the passengers.

The panel is due to report back to the Human Rights Council during its next session between 13 September and 11 October. However, Israel has already refused to cooperate on the grounds of the fact that there is already an independent investigation hed by UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, as well as Israel’s Turkel Commission’s probe and the now-concluded internal military investigation.

A Grand Flotilla Campaign: Sixteen NGOs who call themselves Lifeline for Gaza (LL4G) are determined to break the blockade imposed on Gaza. Citing he “necessity” of a humanitarian mission comprised of 200 ships which is expected to start in November, LL4G founder and president Dr Noorazman Mohd Samsuddin said, “Water pollution has led to kidney damage while phosphorous in the environment has caused heart and lung ailments.”

Hamas Worries Israeli Officials?: On Monday, Israeli Defense officials praised Egyptian efforts in curbing the flow of arms to the Gaza Strip. Egypt's forces had seized several hundred shoulder-to-air missiles in Sinai in recent days. However, Israelis are worried that the large number of missiles seized by Cairo indicates that a missile capacity already positioned to target Israeli forces in a possible war.

Another Flotilla to Gaza?: Pro-Palestinian groups have been campaigning in Ireland for another “freedom flotilla” to Gaza that is expected to involve an Irish boat and up to 50 Irish people.

Dr Fintan Lane, an Irish campaigner who travelled on the first flotilla who is spearheading the project, said:

We're in the process of putting a legal team in place in case there is a situation similar to what happened the last time, and so we can provide legal aid for people.