According to the report, gun-sights and rifle cartridges not fitting IDF weapons were discovered upon inspection of the ship, leading defense officials to believe that there may have been weapons on board when the ship set out from Turkey aside from the knifes, rocks and slingshots found in the search.
Coded messages apparently alluding to scenarios of soldier-kidnapping and soldier fatalities were also found on board the ship.
A Reuters report appeared to corroborate on Friday claims of an attempt to kidnap a soldier during the raid of the ship.
Andre Abu Khalil, a Lebanese cameraman for Al-Jazeera TV who was aboard the Mavi Marmara, told Reuters that some 20 Turkish men had tried to prevent the boarding commandos from reaching the wheelhouse and commandeering the ship.
Using slingshots, metal pipes and bats they initially succeeded in wounding and overpowering four Israeli soldiers and dragging them below the deck.
After standoff lasting approximately ten minutes, the Israelis opened fire, the man said.
A makeshift hostage negotiation took place aboard the ship, according to the cameraman. One activist used a megaphone to tell the commandos the four captive soldiers were well and would be released if they provided medical help for the wounded passengers. An Israeli Arab MK - presumably Haneen Zuabi - was said to have mediated in the negotiations, and the soldiers acquiesced. The wounded were subsequently brought up to the top deck to be airlifted off the ship.
Well, well, well... This sheds a new light on the Gaza Flotilla club-wielding humanitarians
[...] Israel discovered spent bullet cartridges on the Mavi Marmara that are of a caliber not used by the Israeli commandos, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Also found on the boat were propaganda clips showing passengers “injured” by Israeli forces; these videos, however, were filmed during daylight, hours before the nighttime operation occurred.
by Maayana Miskin June 4, 2010 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137877
The captive soldiers had recovered from their initial disorientation during their time below deck, and once released hurried to join their unit.
IDF commanders reacted to the report with concern. As similar ships continue to make their way to Gaza, there could be a situation in which a soldier is held captive in order to give passengers a bargaining chip, they said, and that must be prevented.
Reuters has published an eyewitness account that backs the IDF report. Andre Abu Khalil, a Lebanese cameraman for the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera network, was aboard the Mavi Marmara as IDF soldiers boarded. He told Reuters that four soldiers who were among the first aboard were injured and were taken below deck.
A second wave of troops then attempted to board, he said. “Twenty Turkish men formed a human shield to prevent the Israeli soldiers from scaling the ship. They had slingshots, water pipes and sticks,” he recalled. After a brief standoff, after the first wave had been attacked violently, the Israelis opened fire, he claimed.
IDF troops say they opened fire only after being attacked themselves when they boarded the ship.
A second passenger who spoke to Reuters admitted that passengers on the ship had seized soldiers' weapons before shooting broke out. He denied that the passengers had then tried to turn the guns on the soldiers. However, soldiers claimed they were shot at and examination showed they were wounded by those pistols.
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