Life is Healthy

Antara News, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 18:12 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (Mer-C) is still waiting confirmation on the identity of an injured volunteer in the Israeli attack at dawn on Monday (May 31), a MER-C spokesman said.

"We are still waiting for a confirmation on the victim`s identity from several related institutions, according to rumors an Indonesian citizen was injured during the attack," MER-C staffer Rima said here Tuesday.

As reported earlier, "MV Mavi Marmara", a ship carrying about 500 people consisting of activists, journalists, volunteers and parliament members, was attacked by Israeli commandos when it was peacefully sailing to Gaza in international waters to deliver humanitarian aid.

Its passengers included four MER-C activists, an undetermined number of people from other Indonesian organizations and at least one Indonesian television reporter.

In the Israeli assault, a number of passengers were reported killed and injured.

According to Rima, Mer-C is still unable to contact Freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid for the Gaza strip convoy since the attack, and waiting for confirmation on volunteers` condition.

The four Mer-C activists aboard the MV Mavi Marmara were Nurfitri Taher (Mer-C project officer), medical officers Arief Rahman, Abdillah Onim and mechanic Nur Ikhwan Abadi.

There were also volunteers from other Indonesian organizations such as the Indonesian Committee of Solidarity for Palestine (KISPA) and Sahabat Al-Aqsha and television camera man M Yasin.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Tengku Faizasyah said on Monday the ministry was still trying to obtain information on the condition of the Indonesians aboard the ship.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli private channel 10 television reported Israeli marine commandos had opened fire after being attacked with axes and knives by a number of passengers on board the ship without naming the source of the information.

The station did not say whether the dead and injured were passengers or members of the Israeli navy.

Israel`s army radio said between 10 and 14 people had been killed in clashes which broke out after the passengers allegedly tried to grab weapons off the naval commandos who tried to storm one of the boats.

It was not clear whether the clashes were taking place on just one of the six boats making up the aid convoy, and the Israeli army had no immediate comment on the incident.

Shortly afterward, the Israeli military censor ordered a block on all information regarding those injured or killed during the storming of the ship.

Due to the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a planned visit to Washington on Tuesday, as reported by an Italian News Agency, ADNKronos International.

"We have no problems with the people of Gaza. We do have a conflict with the terrorist regime of Hamas, supported by Iran. We want to maintain a situation where we prevent weapons and war materials from coming into Gaza, and allowing humanitarian aid to go to the population of Gaza," he said.

The convoy had been trying to break Israel`s crippling blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip after the Islamist movement Hamas took power there in 2007.

"Our policy was and will continue to be that Israel would allow humanitarian aid, any kind of goods that are meant for peace, to the civilian population of Gaza," he said.

The killings drew widespread international condemnation with several countries summoning their Israeli ambassadors.