Amazing eyewitness account by Abbas Al Lawati of GulfNews, who was on Mavi Marmara:
Then the announcements on the ship started. Lubna Masarwa, an official from the Free Gaza Movement, addressed the Israeli soldiers, saying the ship had surrendered and its passengers would not confront the army. "You have blood on your hands. Four have died and we have many more critically injured. They need help," she shouted.
She must have repeated the message at least ten times in English, then a few times in Hebrew. No response.
After about half an hour, Knesset member Haneen Zoubi, armed with a white handkerchief, a message on a large piece of cardboard and her parliamentary immunity, risked her life to walk straight to the window. The soldier nervously raised his weapon and gestured for her to stop. She went ahead, stood there for a few seconds to ensure that the message was read, and walked back.
No response. The sun was up by then.
The announcements by Masarwa continued. Then, a British woman wrapped herself in the Union Jack and made the same move.
Approximately an hour and a half after the first call for help, a soldier shouted through the window in a heavy Hebrew accent: "Injured only! One by one!".
Slowly the injured were carried out. I was asked to help carry some, which led me to the second sitting hall on the floor where the injured were being treated.
I was shocked to see row after row of injured people lying down and waiting for help, some slowly losing consciousness.
About an hour later, after the injured had been unloaded, the Israelis told us to start moving towards the door at the back of the room. One by one we came out, with men being strip searched down to their underwear in full view of the women, then their hands tied with plastic handcuffs, some behind their backs and others in front.
h/t Nancy Kanwisher
Oh and this is a parallel-universe statement from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, telling Jews what to care about re the flotilla:
Mesheberach: During the Jewish Sabbath service, there is a prayer is for those who are ill or injured. The "Mesheberach" includes the name of the person for whom the prayer is offered and, in an unusual practice, the name of the person’s mother rather than his or her father. Whether in the synagogue or not, we hope readers will remember the six soldiers injured while protecting the people of Israel:
Dean Ben (son of) Svetlana
Roee Ben (son of) Shulamit
Daniel Lazar Ben (son of) Tina Leah
Yotam Ben (son of) Dorit
Ido Ben (son of) Ilana
Boris Ben (son of) Eelaina
