Rachel Corrie Activists Return Home

Five crew members of the Rachael Corrie are due to return to Dublin today after being captured and deported by Israel on Saturday.

The Irish activists who were detained in Israel after soldiers took control of the aid ship with their flight expected to arrive from Frankfurt later this morning. All five had waived their right to appeal the deportation orders issued by Israeli authorities.

Yesterday Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin paid tribute to the crew and passengers on board the Rachel Corrie aid ship, who he said had demonstrated their peaceful intentions.

This morning, it has also emerged that the Israeli Prime Minister rejected UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's proposal for an international investigation into Israel's commando raid on the earlier Gaza-bound aid flotilla last week, during which nine Turkish crew members were killed.

Israeli president Benyamin Netanyahu met with his senior ministers yesterday to discuss other options, and it is expected that Israel is likely to hold an internal inquiry with a US observer.

Last week the US had themselves ruled out an indepedent inquiry despite calls from other UN nations.

Israel's actions in the region still remain controversial after its forces shot dead what their officials are calling four Palestinian 'commandos' at sea off Gaza, claiming it had foiled a 'terror attack'.

Palestinian witnesses said they saw Israeli helicopters and naval forces firing on a vessel off the coast of Nusseirat, south of Gaza City before four bodies in diving suits were pulled from the water and taken to hospital.

Searches were under way for another two people still believed to be missing after the pre-dawn attack.

The Israeli military said a naval force in the area had attacked a boat carrying 'a squad of terrorists wearing diving suits on their way to execute a terror attack'.

(DW/BMcC)