Iran's revolutionary corps offered to escort Freedom Flotillas

07.06.2010 Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) volunteered to escort forthcoming flotillas with humanitarian aid to Gaza residents, reported AFP referring to Iranian news agency Mehr.

As was said by a source from IRGC, the Corps' navy is ready to escort convoys carrying humanitarian aid to "oppressed" Gaza residents if only Ayatollah Ali Khomeini gives such order.

On May 31 Israel forbade Freedom Flotilla vessels to enter Gaza Strip which has been in blockade for three years. The flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian cargo and over 600 human rights activists from European and Arabic countries.

Israel had warned that the ships would not be allowed into Gaza Strip and offered them to discharge at Ashdod port. Supposedly, the cargo would be checked there and then delivered to Gaza via UN mission. When the ships of Freedom Flotilla declined the request to proceed to Ashdod, Israeli marines boarded one of the Flotilla's vessels.

Nine persons were killed and over 30 injured during the operation. According to Israeli servicemen, that were the ship's passengers who provoked the encounter; allegedly, they attacked soldiers with knives and sticks. When one of the attackers could strip a marine of a pistol gun, soldiers had to open fire. Flotilla's initiators said that were Israeli soldiers who began shooting at the passengers first.