A report by three U.N.-appointed human rights experts released Wednesday said that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and killed nine activists on May 31.
The U.N. Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission concluded that Israel's naval blockade of the Palestinian territory was unlawful because of the humanitarian crisis there and described the military raid on the flotilla as brutal and disproportionate.
The 56-page document lists a series of alleged crimes committed by Israeli forces during and after the raid, including willful killing and torture.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded that the Human Rights Council had a "biased, politicized and extremist approach."
The Palestinian group Hamas, which rules Gaza, praised the report and called for those involved in the raid to be punished.
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