Mavi Marmara boarding
The Mavi Maramara activists were divided into two groups, "peace activists" and "hardcore group".[1]:30 Video footage shows the "hardcore group" activists prepared before the raid, praying together while wearing the uniforms, taking their gas masks and makeshift weapons, and getting into position.[61] Activists dressed in protective clothing from construction materials[62] prevented Israeli boats from advancing by throwing broken plates and metal chains.[12]
The boarding of the Mavi Marmara started in the early morning at 4:30 IST. The operation began with an attempt to board the ship from speedboats. As the boats approached, activists fired water hoses at them, and pelted them with a variety of objects. The Israelis replied with paintballs and stun grenades. One stun grenade was picked up and tossed back into a boat. When the commandos tried boarding the ship, activists cut the ladders with electric disc saws. The boats then turned slightly away from the ship, but remained close.[60][63]
The IDF then sent in a Black Hawk helicopter with a 15-man assault team on board.[60][64][65] According to the IDF, the commandos fired warning shots and dropped stun grenades prior to abseiling onto the ship.[66] The UNHRC report on the incident concluded that the Israeli soldiers were firing live rounds from the helicopter before they landed anyone on the ship.[67] Al Jazeera reporter Jamal Elshayyal, who was on the ship, stated that he saw one man shot in the head and others wounded by live fire.[68] Other passengers reported gunfire, blue flares and deafening noise from the first helicopter at this time.[69][70] Robert Mackey of The New York Times suggested that the passengers on the ship may have mistaken the flash grenades and paintball guns for deadly weapons, which enraged them.[71] Activists and crew members used gas masks.[72]
An injured Israeli commando captured by activists aboard the Mavi Marmara
A rope was then dropped from the helicopter onto the ship, but three activists seized it and tied it to the deck.[73] A second rope was immediately dropped, and the soldiers abseiled onto the deck. Each soldier was met with a team of resisting activists, throwing them off balance and assaulting them with makeshift weapons.[74][75] The first team of four commandos was immediately attacked. Accounts vary. According to the official Israeli report, the team leader was quickly subdued, and thrown off deck. Two other Israeli commandos were abducted in the first minutes of the raid, and taken to an inside room. They had their guns wrested away, although Israel and the flotilla activists disagree over whether the guns were used by the activists.[76] Commandos reported that there was live fire against them at a later stage,[77][78][79] and that the second soldier to descend from the first helicopter was shot in the stomach.[80] IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that activists seized three stun grenades from soldiers.[81] The Israeli commandos responded with their less-lethal weaponry, and attempted to physically fight off activists.
Three Israeli commandos were captured. The first captured soldier, the commanding officer of the assault team, was abseiling from the helicopter when he was attacked by ten men before his feet hit the deck. He was beaten across his body and head, and eventually picked up and thrown to the lower deck, where he was attacked by a dozen activists, who beat and choked him, removed his bulletproof vest and sidearm and smashed his helmet, and was shoved into a passenger hall below deck. The second soldier was surrounded by a team of fifteen to twenty activists in two groups, thrown from one group to the other, when he landed on the ship's roof. He managed to draw and cock his pistol and fire one shot at an activist holding a knife before being subdued.[82] The activists seized his gun and beat him as he attempted to fight them off with his back to the hull. After about two minutes, he was picked up by his arms and legs, and was thrown over the hull despite attempts to resist. He attempted to hang on to the hull with both hands, but was eventually forced to let go by activists beating his hands and other activists below pulling him down by his legs. He was then surrounded by another group of activists, stabbed in the stomach, and was dragged into a lounge while being beaten every time he resisted. A third soldier who was lowered onto the deck saw an activist waiting to attack him with an iron crowbar. After shoving him away, he was attacked by four more activists, one of whom wrapped a chain around his neck and choked him until he lost consciousness as he attempted to fight them off. He was then thrown onto the bridge deck, where he was attacked by about twenty activists, who beat him, cut away his equipment, and dragged him into the lounge.[83] The three soldiers were severely wounded and bleeding heavily. Two of the soldiers had their hands tied, and a third was unconscious and went into convulsions. During their captivity, they were subjected to physical and verbal abuse, and photographed and filmed. One of the soldiers claimed that he was beaten after he began moving and yelling that one of the soldiers needed a doctor, and another said that he was placed onto a couch, beaten, and threatened that he would be beaten every time he moved.[84] Although radical activists attempted to harm them further, more moderate passengers intervened and protected the soldiers.[85] Two were given water and one with a severe stomach wound was given a gauze pad. Hasan Huseyin Uysal, a Turkish doctor, cleaned the blood off their faces and tended to facial cuts.[86]
IDF commandos and activists clashing on the deck
After the third soldier was thrown from the roof, the commandos requested and received permission to use live fire.[82][87] The soldiers then opened fire with pistols, and activists dispersed to the front and back of the roof after taking casualties. An IDF medical officer on board located a secure spot, and oversaw treatment of injured soldiers. A second helicopter carrying 12 soldiers arrived over the ship. As the helicopter approached, activists attacked the IDF commandos, who repulsed them with gunshots aimed at their legs. At the same time, the speedboats trailing the ship approached again. They were met with a barrage of objects, including iron balls from slingshots, and allegedly with a burst of gunfire, forcing the boats to pull back again.[88][89]
Soldiers from the second helicopter successfully slid down and began moving towards the front of the roof to reinforce control of the ship. They were attacked by activists, but dispersed them with shots towards their legs. The soldiers attempted to secure the lower decks, but were met with violent resistance, allegedly including live fire. Shortly afterward, a third helicopter arrived, carrying 14 soldiers. They successfully abseiled onto the ship, and the commander from the third helicopter met up with the commander from the second helicopter, after which the forces began moving towards the ship's bridge. They were attacked twice by activists, and opened fire. The commandos reached the bridge after thirty minutes, and took command. Upon orders from the soldiers, the captain instructed all activists to enter their cabins. At this stage, most of the activists assembled on the sides of the ship retreated into the hull. The speedboats approached for a third time, and most of the remaining activists again hurled objects at the boats. Soldiers inside the boats then opened fire, taking careful aim to hit the resisting passengers and forcing the activists to disperse, enabling the soldiers to board from ladders. The soldiers were met with resistance, and responded with live fire. They managed to fight their way to the roof, where they met up with the rest of the force.[60][90] An assessment was made, and three soldiers were found to be missing. A force was prepared to rush the passenger halls and locate the soldiers. According to the IDF, soldiers spotted activists escorting the three captive soldiers onto the deck. One of the captive soldiers claimed that the activist guarding him waved to one of the IDF naval vessels to show that they were holding Israeli soldiers. At that point, he elbowed the activist in the ribs and jumped into the water, although the guard tried to hold him back. A second soldier also jumped into the water, while the third remained unconscious on the deck. IDF soldiers dispersed the activists with non-lethal weapons, and rescued the unconscious soldier, while the two soldiers in the water were picked up by the naval vessels.[91][87][92] According to some accounts by activists and journalists, however, the soldiers were released after negotiations mediated by Haneen Zoabi, in which the IDF agreed to airlift the wounded in exchange for their release.[57][86][93][68]
All of the passengers were then taken one-by-one from their cabins and onto the external decks, where they were searched. Most of the passengers were then handcuffed and forced to kneel for hours. Some women, elderly men, and western nationals were either temporarily handcuffed or uncuffed shortly afterward, and were allowed to sit on the benches. During the course of the journey to Ashdod port, passengers were brought inside and allowed to sit down. According to the UN fact-finding mission, passengers were subject to various forms of abuse.[94]
IDF Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi testified to Israel's Turkel Commission that the IDF had fired 308 live rounds and about 350 bean bag rounds and paintballs. An aide to the general said that that 70 of these shots were aimed to cause injury, while the others would have been warning shots. IDF Major-General Giora Eiland said that the IDF had found evidence of four instances of soldiers coming under fire from activists, and that in at least one case, the fire came from weapons that were not stolen from commandos.[60][87]
