Following the Israel Navy's interception of the Free Gaza Movement's Al-Karama ship which sought to break the naval blockade surrounding the Gaza Strip, Navy soldiers hand out food and water to the passengers aboard the ship. Photo: wiki commons.

An Istanbul court stated on Monday that it will try on October 6 the Israel Defense Forces officers it holds accountable for a raid on a ship that tried to breach the Gaza Strip blockade in 2010. Among those reportedly to be tried are former Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi and three other senior officers, all of whom were in command positions during the time of the operation that turned violent and ended with nine Turkish citizens dead.

While it is very unlikely that the Israeli officers would show up for the trial, Israel reportedly offered last month to pay US $6 million to the families of those killed in the raid, but the offer was rejected.

On May 31, 2010 the IDF sent a team of commandos to stop the naval flotilla from breaching the internationally sanctioned military naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. After the Israeli commandos landed on the Mavi Marmara ship carrying paintball guns, mercenaries on the ship tried to lynch the Israeli soldiers, who pulled out their firearms in self-defense and killed nine Turks on board.