They said they had exchanged their usual assault rifles for paintball guns. “It was a civilian paintball gun that any 12-year-old can play with,” one soldier said, speaking on condition of anonymity under military regulations. The soldiers said they had loaded pistols to use only in the event of an emergency.
“When I landed on the deck I felt that someone had stabbed me in the stomach. I pulled the knife out of my stomach,” the soldier, identified only as Capt. R., told Israeli Channel 10 TV from his hospital bed. One commando said several of his comrades jumped into the water to save themselves.
Norman Paech, a retired law professor from Hamburg, who was among the activists on board the ship, said: “I don’t deny that in the fighting some of them were using some of the weapons they’ve been showing on TV now, like the slingshot or the hatchets. But don’t forget that the Israelis attacked us in international waters. According to international law, you’re allowed to defend yourself when you get attacked.”
With men down and believing their lives were in danger, the Israeli commandos say they requested permission to use live fire. This was granted about 4:50 a.m., 20 minutes after the operation began. The Israelis pulled out their pistols and began to shoot.
In the ensuing melee, two activists succeeded in wresting two pistols away from the troops and shot two soldiers, according to Israeli military and hospital officials. Israel says both activists were shot dead. Those on the ship had no chance against the armed and highly trained troops, and by 5 a.m. the ship was under the commandos’ control.
