Thousands of people greeted the lead ship of an ill-fated Gaza-bound aid flotilla as it returned to Istanbul on Sunday, one day after Turkey reiterated demands for an apology and compensation from Israel for its deadly raid on the vessel in May, according to dpa. The Turkish charity group that had organised the flotilla also used the occasion to announce that the Mavi Marmara would make another attempt to break Israel's naval blockade on Gaza next year. Umit Sonmez, a coordinator with the Foundation for Humanitarian Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, said that the vessel would lead a flotilla of 50 ships to Gaza on May 31 - the one-year anniversary of the Israeli raid. Sunday's ceremony was also meant to honour the nine activists who died during the raid. Turkish and international activists addressed the crowd, who waved Turkish and Palestinian flags while chanting anti-Israel and Islamic slogans. Israeli commandos shot dead the eight Turks and one Turkish- American national aboard the Mavi Marmara as they tried to stop the flotilla of international pro-Palestinian activists from breaching Gaza's naval blockade to deliver aid. The incident sparked a diplomatic crisis between formerly close allies Israel and Turkey that has yet to be resolved. Israel has refused to meet Turkish demands for an apology and compensation, saying its soldiers acted in self-defence. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told journalists on Saturday that Turkey wished to make peace with Israel, but that its demands had not changed. "We want to both preserve relations and defend our rights. If our friendship with Israel is to continue, the way for it is to apologize and offer compensation," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by the semi- official Anatolia Agency on Sunday. The Mavi Marmara will remain anchored in Istanbul's Sarayburnu port for a week, during which the public can take part in tours led by activists who were aboard the ship during the May incident.
