Ayalon: Activists on Gaza sail had weapons

Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said Monday morning that the pro-Palestinian activists on the flotilla sailing to the Gaza Strip had weapons on board. In a first official Israeli response to the deadly IDF takeover of the ships, Ayalon accused the sail's organizers of having ties to the Hamas and al-Qaeda terror organizations.

"It was a provocation," Ayalon said during a press briefing. "On the deck we found weapons which were used against the forces. The organizers' intent was violent and the results were unfortunate. Israel regrets the loss of life. We called the organizers once and again the stop the provocations." (Ronen Medzini)