Israel? navy killed four Palestinian militants in divers suits off the coast of Gaza early yesterday in the first violence at sea since a deadly raid against an international flotilla last week killed nine pro-Palestinian activists and set off an international storm of criticism against Israel.
Israel, along with Egypt, has been enforcing a blockade of Gaza since 2007, when the Islamic militant group Hamas seized the territory.
The incident has drawn international attention to the blockade and prompted growing calls for Israel to lift or at least ease it.
In a text message sent to reporters in Gaza, Al-Aqsa Martyrs?Brigades ?an offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas?Fatah faction ?said the four men killed were members of its marine unit who were training in Gaza? waters.
Also yesterday, Palestinian officials said Israel fired a missile at Palestinian militants near the Gaza border, wounding one.
?he bloody escalation today is a desperate attempt by the occupation government to divert the world attention away from the massacre committed against the flotilla,?Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters in Gaza.
The Israeli government has been frantically trying to counter the wave of harsh international condemnation that has left the state isolated and at odds with some of its closest allies.
Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal by UN Secretary-胃eneral Ban Ki-moon for an international commission to investigate the raid, officials said he was open to a probe that would look into the actions of the activists as well.
Meanwhile, Turkey continued to demand yesterday that Israel accept an international inquiry into the raid on the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in the flotilla as regional leaders, gathered at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Istanbul.
Turkey, the most important ally of Israel in the Muslim world, has said it will reduce military and trade ties and shelve discussions of energy projects. It has also threatened to break ties altogether unless Israel apologizes for the raid last week.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said normalization of ties with Israel would depend on whether it agrees to an international inquiry into the May 31 raid, in which nine Turks were killed.
?f Israel ... gives the green light for the establishment of an international [inquiry] commission and is ready to answer to the commission, then naturally Turkish-Israeli ties will follow a different path,?Davutoglu said.
?ut if it continues to evade that, normalization in relations would be out of the question,?he said.
Abbas, who is due in Washington for talks with US President Barack Obama, called for fresh initiatives to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, in place since 2006. He urged Hamas, which controls the impoverished territory, to reconcile with his Fatah faction.
A final declaration to be issued after today? summit is expected to include a condemnation of Israel over its raid on the aid ship, another Turkish diplomat said.
Turkey, a NATO member vying for EU membership, has pushed for greater regional influence in recent years.
However, its improving ties with Iran and Syria, as well as deteriorating relations with Israel, has led to concerns that the mildly Islamist government in Ankara is shifting the country away from the West.
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