Recently, Israeli soldiers boarded a humanitarian vessel seeking to bring goods from Turkey to the nearly 2 million people in need in the Gaza strip. Small assault crafts surrounded the Turkish ship before boarding and assaulting a number of the activists on board.  Israeli forces claimed that they only began firing in defense after the Turkish activists fired upon them.

The head of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief based in Istanbul, Bulent Yildrim, contends that the activists grabbed the guns from the soldiers trying to fight off an unwarranted attack. A doctor and journalist were both shot at close range.

Israel put the blockade against Gaza into effect to demonstrate their opposition to the Palestinian attacks on Israel that have come from the Gaza region for years in the form of rockets.  Now that Hamas is enjoying political success as the poverty spreads and the citizens have no one else to turn to, Israel is being particularly stubborn on their stance to not allow anything in or out of the area.

Activists on board described the soldiers as “brutal” and found themselves either hiding, shocked and beaten, or fired on by plastic and live rounds. Should these people trying to help have been allowed to provide assistance? Is it time for Israel to heed calls from such powerful figures as US Vice President Joe Biden and make changes to the blockade? What do you think about the ongoing conflict?

Written by: Joe Nice