Turkish organizers of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla attacked by Israeli naval commandos accuse Israel of shooting activists dead at a close range. 

Bulent Yildirm, who heads the Foundation of Humanitarian Relief (IHH), told reporters at Istanbul airport how a journalist called Cevdet was killed by Israeli soldiers for no good reason. 

“He was just taking pictures. He was shot at from no more than a meter and his brain exploded … one of our friends was shot even after he had surrendered,” AFP quoted Yildrim as saying. 

He accused Israeli naval forces of killing “whoever they laid hands on” and even throwing some activists into the sea. 

“We were given the bodies of nine martyrs, but we have a longer list. There are missing people. Our doctors handed over 38 injured, on our return they (the Israelis) said there were only 21 injured.” 

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Wednesday, saying it would set up an independent international probe into Israel’s “outrageous attack” on the six-ship aid convoy. 

The Tel Aviv regime, which has backed its military’s use of lethal force as an act of “self defense,” dismissed the decision, saying the council lacked “moral authority.” 

Israeli officials say nine people were killed in the Monday’s deadly attack, but reports by Palestinian sources put the fatalities at around 20.