Greece summons Israeli ambassador for attack on Gaza aid flotilla

Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas summoned Israeli ambassador Ali Yahia on Monday over the Israeli attack of a flotilla carrying aid to besieged Gaza, which resulted in casualties.

The Greek Foreign Ministry also activated its Crisis Management Unit, since Greek citizens are among activists who participated in the mission. According to unconfirmed information, a Greek national is among the injured.

The Greek embassy in Tel Aviv has contacted the Israeli authorities and requested an official briefing and explanation regarding the operation carried out by the Israeli armed forces.

"It is Greece's long-standing position that any activities undertaken by non-governmental organizations must go unhindered, under the obvious condition that the activities are legal," said a statement released by the ministry.

Israeli forces on Monday attacked the international convoy of aid ships to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza, killing up to 16 people and wounding more than 30 others, Israeli media reported.

The flotilla consisted of six ships carrying about 10,000 tons of aid and set sail from a port in Cyprus on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Gaza by Monday morning, Al-Jazeera reported.

Source:Xinhua