Written by Jemaimah
Ismail Haniyeh's visits Mavi Marmara in show of solidarity with Islamic aid group IHH, which had planned to send the vessel with another Gaza flotilla last year but dropped the plan.
Hamas premier Ismail Haniyeh visited a docked Mavi Marmara on Monday in Turkey in a show of solidarity with the Islamic aid group IHH, which had planned to send the vessel with another Gaza flotilla last year but then dropped the plan.
On the Istanbul dock, Haniyeh denounced the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israel has lifted restrictions on consumer goods, though it kept a ban on materials like cement and metals that it says could be used by terrorists.
The Mavi Marmara was the target of a deadly raid by Israeli troops seeking to prevent an aid flotilla reaching the Gaza Strip on May 31, 2010.
Israel has maintained that its soldiers acted in self-defense when they shot and killed eight Turkish activists and one Turkish-American who attempted to break blockade on Gaza. Israel Defense Forces released footage showing its troops coming under attack as they tried to board the boat.
