In the early morning hours of June 5, the Irish-owned Rachel Corrie ship announced it was just miles away from Gaza and that Israeli navy ships were trailing behind it. The 11 activists on the boat have said they did not plan to take Israel’s orders and redirect their boat to the Ashdod Port but insisted that they would not resist arrest if Israel’s navy commandos boarded the ship.

Israel, on the other hand has said it would not allow the ship to reach the Gaza shores but did not want a repeat of last week’s tragedy when nine people were killed after Israeli navy commandos and soldiers ambushed the Mavi Marmara Turkish ship still in international waters. Eight Turkish nationals and one American of Turkish descent were killed with Israeli soldiers opened fire on the activists who tried to stave them off with anything they found onboard. The Freedom Flotilla, the largest yet that has tried to break the siege on Gaza, had on board 700 people, including Islamic movement leader inside the Green Line, Sheikh Raed Salah who is now in custody in Israel.

After taking over the ship and killing and injuring dozens, Israeli commandos veered the ship towards Ashdod, confiscated the goods and arrested and deported the activists.

Since then, Israel has been highly criticized for its brutal crackdown on the ship, with mass demonstrations breaking out in various parts of the world. Hamas, the de facto authority in Gaza has refused Israel’s offer to accept some of the aid from the ambushed flotilla until Israeli authorities release all the detainees and agrees to release all the goods on board including construction materials.

On June 4, a Turkish autopsy report declared that the nine Turkish activists killed on the ship had been shot a total of 30 times, with five dying from gunshot wounds to the head. According to the news report from the Guardian, 48 others suffered wounds as well and six activists were still missing.

Right now, the Rachel Corrie, which was supposed to be part of the original flotilla that was ambushed last week, is carrying supplies such as cement and medical equipment in addition to toys and printing paper. Its passengers refused an earlier agreement between Israel and the Irish government to divert the ship to Ashdod.

The US has maintained a cautious stance as usual. “We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council on June 4.

On his part, US President Barak Obama said on June 3 that the flotilla incident was “tragic” but said he hoped that it would provide an “opening” to urge on Middle East efforts. During a television interview, Obama also admitted that the Gaza siege prevented people from “pursuing economic opportunities.”

"The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid any unnecessary confrontations," said National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer in a statement on June 4.

Of course, the recent events have only further strained relations between Israel and Turkey, which has said if another Turkish flotilla sets sail for Gaza, it would be accompanied by the Turkish navy. In a televised speech on June 4 Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addressed Israel, saying “I'll say to you in your own language. I say in Hebrew 'Lo Tirtzakh'," or, "Thou shalt not kill." Since the raid on the flotilla, demonstrations have broken out in Turkish cities along with countries around the world, including Israel. In Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, angry protestors took to the streets calling on their governments to expel Israel’s ambassadors to their countries.

On May 31, 2000 Israeli left wing activists protested in Tel Aviv outside the defense ministry building and in Washington crowds of people stood outside the White House chanting “Obama, can’t you see? Palestine will be free.”

On June 2, the Human Rights Council adopted a decision to create an independent investigation committee into Israel’s flotilla raid with a 47-32 majority with the US opposing and France and the UK abstaining.

On June 3, Human Rights Watch called for a “credible and impartial investigation” into the flotilla raid, “to determine whether the lethal force used by Israeli commandos was necessary to protect lives and whether it could have been avoided,” according to Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“Given Israel's poor track record of investigating unlawful killings by its armed forces, the international community should closely monitor any inquiry to ensure it meets basic international standards and that any wrongdoers are brought to justice,” she said.

On June 1, the UN Security Council also released a statement calling for an investigation into the incident. The statement said it “regrets the loss of life” adding that the “situation in Gaza is not sustainable.”

Also on June 3, famed linguist, intellectual and outspoken critic of Israel, Noam Chomsky condemned Israel’s flotilla raid. “Hijacking boats in international waters and killing passengers is, of course, a serious crime," he told the Egyptian based newspaper Al-Ahram. “Israel assumes that it can carry out such crimes with impunity because the US tolerates them.”

Furthermore, on June 3, in Hebron, a Jewish settler reportedly turned himself into police after opening fire on a group of Palestinian teens coming home from exams. Eyewitnesses say the settler randomly opened fire at the boys from Al Aroub refugee camp, on of them seriously.

Sixteen-year old Mutaz Banat was seriously injured in the abdomen and thigh, and Ibrahim Mohammed, also 16, was shot in the chest.

Finally, the Palestinian Authority brought the second Palestine Investment Conference to a close on June 4 with 125 small and medium sized Palestinian business projects funded by some 500 million US dollars from Arab and Palestinian investors showcased. At the opening of the conference on June 2, President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the recent Israeli raid on the Freedom flotilla, saying its activists were subjected to “state terrorism” by Israel. “We expect international justice, and the blockade must be lifted. Stopping the attacks is the first step towards peace," he told the conference. Despite the melee caused by the flotilla incident, PA officials considered the conference as a success.