The killing of up to at least nine peace activists by Israeli commandos in a raid on six ships carrying aid for the Gaza Strip has "shocked" Palestinians, according to a Maltese human rights activist based in Gaza.

Bianca Zammit, who was shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers last month, told The Times from the port of Gaza that Palestinians were overcome by shock rather than anger since they never expected Israeli forces to kill foreigners.

"Palestinians are used to deadly actions against them but nobody expected this to happen with foreigners. People are shocked, they feel nobody can help them now", Ms Zammit said.

The Israeli military said the commandos shot after they were attacked by the activists, who form part of the Free Gaza Movement, an international organisation aimed at breaking Israel's three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Ms Zammit was shot and injured when she attended a Palestinian protest in Gaza against Israel's decision to impose a no-entry zone all along the Israel-Gaza border.

Everywhere in Gaza, she said yesterday, was adorned with flags of the Free Gaza Movement flotilla and community leaders from different political parties were united in their message of condemnation.

She said Palestinians started gathering at the port in Gaza at around 9 a.m. after news of the attack started filtering through. A spontaneous demonstration was addressed by leaders of different political parties.

The attack has sparked international outrage with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton calling for an enquiry to establish what happened and EU Parliament President Jerzy Buzek condemning the Israeli actions, insisting they went against international law.

Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg condemned the "disproportionate use of violence" and asked for a full inquiry into the attack.

"Malta deeply regrets the loss of life as a result of the Israeli military operation against the flotilla sailing to Gaza and offers its condolences to the families of the victims," Dr Borg said, insisting the humanitarian situation in Gaza was a source of "grave concern".

The Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika issued separate statements condemning the Israeli actions and urged the government to use its influence with its EU partners to demand an immediate inquiry from the Israeli government.

According to AFP news agency, the Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla of six ships in international waters at around 5 a.m. yesterday, killing at least nine pro-Palestinian activists, most of them Turkish nationals.

The Israeli military said 19 activists were killed but aid agencies spoke of more dead people. News about what actually happened is hazy since Israel has kept a tight hold on information about the incident.

The ships were on a mission to defy the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver supplies to the Palestinians.

Israel has blockaded Gaza since 2007 when Hamas Islamists took power in the sliver of land, home to 1.6 million Palestinians that borders the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt and Israel.

Israel pointed the finger of blame at the activists on the boats, accusing them of initiating the deadly bloodshed when they attacked a naval boarding force with fire, knives and clubs on some of the six ships. Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blamed the passengers.

"They initiated the violence," he told AFP. "We made every possible effort to avoid this incident. The servicemen were given instructions that it was to be a police operation and to use maximum restraint. Unfortunately, they were attacked with deadly force by the people on the boats - with iron bars, knives and live fire." The aid convoy was carrying some 10,000 tonnes of supplies and left Cyprus on Sunday to make landfall in Gaza yesterday. However, the convoy was intercepted some 64 kilometres off the coast of Gaza. The deadly ending to the widely publicised aid mission plunged Israel into a diplomatic crisis just 24 hours before Mr Netanyahu was to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel had committed a massacre.

Turkey condemned the "inhumane practices of Israel" and said the incident may lead to "irreparable consequences" in the two countries' bilateral relations.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.