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A soldier that took part in boarding the Mavi Marmara describes the violent confrontation that awaited on it’s decks.

Israeli Navy Soldier Testifies Regarding the Violent Incident Aboard the Mavi Marmara

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9p5QT91QYs

Translated from hebrew:

“We were above the ship, hovering above it…”

“We understood there were 15 people on the roof. They took him, tied him to one of the antennas. We came down using the other rope, one by one, and every guy that descended was met by 3 or 4 people. And they just started beating him up, tearing him to pieces. It was a lynch.”

“Every guy that came down the ropes was taken aside, and everyone there had metal rods, knives, slingshots, glass bottles. At one point there was live fire, they started firing live rounds, two guys there had live ammunition.”

“They started hitting me with the metal rods, and while defending myself, I guess I broke my arm. At this point, I didn’t even have a weapon in my hands. Any soldier coming down the rope did not have a gun in his hands.”

Interviewer: “Did not what?”

“Did not have a gun in his hands. We were empty handed, our weapons were on our back. It’s important to clarify that the weapons were riot dispersal means, we had paintball guns. They fired live rounds. They were firing bullets. Real ammunition.”

“They just came prepared for a battle. We came prepared to straighten things out, talk to them, convince them to unboard the ship. They were just…”

“Every person that got to the boat was stormed, they just came and attacked him. There were soldiers that were thrown off the top deck.”

“I conducted a search on one of the people, on him I found two utility knives, on one person! He had two utility knives, a pocket knife, an extendable metal rod, like a club, in his other pocket he had tear gas and pepper spray.”

Israeli Navy Soldiers testifies regarding the activists violent attacks

Arutz Sheva [june 01, 2010], also published an interview with the Israeli Navy soldiers:

“Each soldier who descended was taken by three or four men and they simply exploded, beating him up. They lynched us.”

“They had metal clubs, knives, slingshots, glass bottles… At one point there was also live fire.”

“I was among the last to descend, and I saw that the group was dispersed, everyone in his own corner surrounded by three or four men. I saw a soldier on the floor with two men beating him. I peeled them off of him and they came at me and began beating me with the clubs.”

“That’s how I broke my arm. At that moment I had no weapon in my hands, like everyone else who descended on the cables empty-handed. My paintball gun was behind me.”

“They came and attacked me, I brought them down to the floor, I took a few steps back, I took out my paintball gun, they came at me, and I shot at their legs. One of the clubs destroyed my paint gun and I moved on to my pistol which was the only thing to hold against them. At this point my arm no longer functioned.”

“From the opening of the corridor, they were shooting at us the entire time with live fire”

Flotilla Passengers Fire Live Ammunition at IDF Soldiers

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGuwUGaI9o

The naval soldier also described how his unit was shot at from the entrance to the ship’s corridor:

“I saw two from my group lying flat on the ground. From the opening of the corridor they were shooting at them the entire time with live fire, bullets. We identified a gun barrel, and one of us shot at the guy holding it. Afterwards we entered and he wasn’t there.”

“[They were] about 30 men; they simply came for war. We came to straighten things out, to speak to those who went downstairs, but each of us who descended was simply attacked.”

“There were some from my group that were thrown to the lower floor, and the passengers took their equipment. They jumped to the water as a last resort. We were told that if they didn’t listen, we should shoot at their legs with the paintball gun. ‘The pistol is only for if you really feel your life is in danger, which shouldn’t happen. It would be extremely abnormal.’ But in the end, that is what happened.”

“We came with the intention of stopping the ship and taking it to Ashdod, and we did not come with the weapons we usually have; we came for something entirely different.”