Israel admits Gaza flotilla raid 'mistakes'

An Israeli military inquiry into the naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla says commandos were under-prepared and mistakes were made at a senior level.

The report says the operation suffered from flawed intelligence-gathering and inadequate planning. But it also praised the commandos involved and found the use of force had been the only way to stop the flotilla.

Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in the naval raid in international waters, which provoked a major outcry, reports BBC News.

The report criticised the operation's planners for not having a back-up plan in the event of violence. But it also said the mission had not been a failure and did not recommend any dismissals.

Presenting the findings to media in Tel Aviv, retired general Giora Eiland, who chaired the investigating panel, had both criticism and praise.

"In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process and some of the operational mistakes," he said. "But also, we did find some very positive findings, and one of them that should be emphasised is the very professional and courageous way that the Israeli commando behaved."

General Eiland said the report was intended to help prepare Israel for similar situations which may occur in the future. The Eiland Committee, which began its work on 7 June, scrutinised the military aspects of the raid.

In a statement, Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Gabi Ashkenazi said the Eiland inquiry had not revealed failures or negligence, but "brings up mistakes which must be corrected for future incidents".

Israel has resisted calls for a UN-led inquiry into the raid, saying it would be biased.

The operation prompted an international backlash and has severely strained Israel's relations with its once-close Muslim ally Turkey.