2007: Israel imposes a blockade on Gaza following the election of Hamas.

Fall 2006: the Free Gaza Movement is created with the mission of "directly challenging the Israeli siege...through civil resistance and direct action," planning to ship humanitarian aid and supplies to Gaza and draw international attention to the blockade.

August 2008: the Free Gaza Movement sends its first convoy to Gaza, delivering aid and bringing in activists, lawyers, and politicians.

2008: The Free Gaza Movement successfully sails to Gaza four times.

December 2008: The Free Gaza Movement sent another mission with three tons of medical supplies, three surgeons, and international politicians. Ninety miles off the coast of Gaza, the boat was rammed three times by Israeli warships. The boat was badly damaged and almost sank, but the delegation docked in Lebanon without sustaining any casualties.

June 2009: The Free Gaza Movement's eighth mission was intercepted and towed to the port of Ashdod, where the passengers were questioned and then deported.With Arafat Shoukri of the Free Gaza Movement leading the initiative, the Free Gaza Movement, IHH (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) of Turkey, and a contingent of activist groups from several countries organized the latest mission, known as the Freedom Flotilla, with the goal of bringing humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.

30 May 2010: Six ships from Turkey, Greece, and Ireland convened in Cyprus and left for Gaza, carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid and 700 activists. They were scheduled to arrive at the coast of Gaza on Monday, June 1, 2010. 

9:00 p.m.: Israeli Navy ships leave the port of Haifa planning to intercept the Freedom Flotilla vessels.

11:00 p.m.: Israeli Navy ships make contact with the vessels and demand that they dock in the Israeli port of Ashdod. The captain of the lead ship, the Mavi Marmara, refuses.

4:30 a.m.: IDF soldiers board the Mavi Marmara. Violence ensues, leaving an estimated nine activists dead, including eight Turkish nationals. The ninth was a 19-year-old American citizen living in Turkey, Furkan Dogan, who was shot four times in the head and once in the chest.

Several more activists and seven Israeli soldiers were wounded. Both groups have attributed the outbreak of violence to the other side.

The IDF led the remaining 679 activists to the port of Ashdod. Fifty were voluntarily deported and over 30 treated for injuries; those from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel were sent to Jordan.

A flight was chartered Thursday to bring the 450 remaining detainees from Tel Aviv to Istanbul. Eighteen passengers are still missing. Israel has stated that it will deliver the 10,000 tons of cargo by land to the Gaza Strip.

Turkey, the nation whose flag under which the Mavi Marmara sailed, has requested emergency talks in Brussels, due to be held by NATO ambassadors.

For Israel, the raid threatens to alienate Turkey, one of its closest allies in the region.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that “[the raid] happened after numerous warnings from Israel and the Israeli Navy that were issued prior to the action,” and argued that the violence on the Mavi Marmara was incited by the demonstrators on board.Israeli commandos who boarded the ships described the situation as a "lynching," and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described it as "a clear case of self defense."

 Israeli officials placed the incident within the context of defending the country from terrorism, claiming that the demonstrators on board and the IHH have ties to Hamas. According to Israeli Deputy Ambassador Daniel Carmon, the demonstrators "cynically used the guise of humanitarian aid to send a message of hate and to implement violence."

Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, stated that "responsibility rests solely with Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, and the participants who organized this flotilla."

Hamas: Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, has denied Israeli claims that the activists on board had ties with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Palestinian Authority: Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad stated, “The Palestinian government strongly condemns this crime, which portrays, once again, Israeli disrespect for the lives of innocent civilians, and its disrespect for international law.” Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has called for three days of mourning.

UN: United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, has stated that he “condemns the violence.”

In a joint statement, U.N. Special Coordinator, Robert Serry, and Commissioner General of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, Filippo Grandi, stated: "We wish to make clear that such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade of Gaza.”

Despite the Israeli military's insistence that it will conduct its own internal, impartial investigation in accordance with international standards, the UN Human Rights Council approved an independent, international probe on Wednesday to investigate the raid.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Israel and criticized the United States for taking such a lenient stance in its admonishment of Israel’s actions.

Despite the fact that Egypt began its own naval and military blockade of Gaza in contingence with Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has condemned the raid as “excessive and unjustified,” and Egypt has temporarily lifted its blockade of Gaza in order to allow humanitarian aid into the Strip.

The raid on the Freedom Flotilla has also been condemned by Russia, Syria, Indonesia, Lebanon, Italy, Spain, France, the UK and others.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that the events of the raid "should not be viewed in isolation. They arise from the unacceptable and unsustainable situation in Gaza, which is a cause of public concern here in the UK and around the world."

States that have recalled ambassadors include: South Africa, Turkey, Jordan and Ecuador. Nicaragua has suspended its diplomatic ties with Israel.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden does not support violence but stated: “Israel has a right to know -- they're at war with Hamas -- has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.”

Philip J. Crowley, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Public Affairs released a statement expressing the United States’ deep regret of “the tragic loss of life and injuries suffered." He also stated that the United States will work with the Israeli government “to provide adequate access for humanitarian goods.” He added, however, that “Hamas’ interference with international assistance shipments and work of nongovernmental organizations, and its use and endorsement of violence, complicates efforts in Gaza.”

The U.S. State Department "remains deeply concerned by the suffering of civilians in Gaza" and “expects that the Israeli government will conduct a full and credible investigation.”

Officials from the Obama administration stated Thursday that the blockade is untenable and that the Israeli government must pursue a new approach to ensuring Israel's security.

Both the United States and the international community emphasized that the situation underscores the need for a full, just peace in the region.

The Israeli military intercepted and boarded the MV Rachel Corrie, another Free Gaza ship carrying supplies and prominent activists, on Saturday morning. The ship was towed to the port of Ashdod, and no violence was reported. Israeli officials have begun to deport its crew and passengers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Saturday that the activists who fought the IDF commandos on board the Mavi Marmara were trained militants who had prepared for a fight. Organizers of the flotilla have denied these claims.

Following intense international pressure, Israeli officials have expressed some willingness to allow more civilian goods into Gaza. They maintain, however, that the blockade is essential for Israel’s security and insist on inspecting all goods to ensure that no weapons enter the Strip.

Obama administration officials have expressed that the blockade is unsustainable. Vice President Biden met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Monday to discuss new ways to address the situation in Gaza.

Turkish officials announced Friday that Ankara would reduce economic and defense ties with Israel and that the Turkish government may bring a case against Israel in international court.