General

Israel kills four Palestinian divers off Gaza coast

Meanwhile, Turkey ratchets up the pressure for investigation into raid

The Israeli navy has killed four Palestinian divers it believes were intending to carry out a terrorist attack. The divers were spotted off the coast of the Gaza strip and, according to a Voice of America report, were members of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade group. Israeli Defense Forces afterwards launched an air strike against suspected militants in Northern Gaza. Israel has come under increasing international pressure in recent days over its deadly raid of an aid flotilla headed towards Gaza. Turkey, once a staunch ally, is now calling on Israel to accept an international investigation into the incident, warning that the “normalization of Turkish-Israeli relations was out of the question” so long as Israel opposes the probe. “We are evaluating everything. It is up to Israel how our ties will continue,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. “Israel has to accept the consequences of its actions and be held accountable.”

Voice of America

AP

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