Monday, May 31, 2010
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
The families of those on the Gaza aid flotilla that was attacked by Israeli soldiers early Monday morning have rushed to the building of the Humanitarian Aid Foundation in the hopes of receiving good news about their loved ones. Some are relieved to see their relatives alive after the operation, although others are preparing for the worst. The wait has been particularly anxious, especially since no contact has been established with those on board
 Aynur Akdeniz's husband, Mehmet Ali Akdeniz, was on a Gaza aid ship in the flotilla. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL |
As Aynur Akdeniz saw the first videos showing the attacks of Israel on the Gaza aid flotilla, she said she immediately switched off the TV to prevent her two children from seeing it. Her husband Mehmet Ali Akdeniz, 34, was on the ship.
After watching the news of an early morning Israeli army operation that killed as many as 19 people on a flotilla bringing aid to the Gaza Strip, Akdeniz rushed to the Humanitarian Aid Foundation, or İHH’s, building in Istanbul’s Fatih district.
The İHH was the main organizer of the aid shipments and its crisis management center, located at the top floor of the building, was bustling all day. Families rushed to the İHH building in the early hours of the morning and the press conference room was filled with crying families who watched developments on a television in the room.
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 PHOTO GALLERY: Relatives of Gaza aid ship passengers wait, worry | |
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Akdeniz said she was planning to travel to Gaza together with her husband, but they decided not to because of the young age of their children.
“My son is 4 years old and my daughter is 6. They packed 300 lollipops for their father to take to Palestinian children in Gaza,” she said through tears.
Although her children have still not comprehended the unfolding events, they are also worried, Akdeniz said.
“They are asking about their father and they are worried even though I didn’t let them see the attack videos on TV,” she said.
Like the other families gathered at the İHH building trying to obtain news from their relatives on the ship, Akdeniz said she was shocked by the attacks and that she was worried and crying.
“I did not expect that much cruelty. My husband even did not have a pocket knife on him,” she said. “It was a strict rule for all of them not to have anything that might be used as a weapon. But Israel was afraid of a few civilian people.”
Akdeniz said she heard from friends that they saw a man who looked like her husband and that he was alive after the attacks.
Of the nearly 600 people on the Mavi Marmara ship, roughly 400 were Turkish citizens, according to İHH Vice Director Yavuz Dede, who said the passengers included men, women, and an 18-month-old baby.
Sümeyye Sena Tezcan, a 15-year-old high school student whose mother, Demet Tezcan, was on the ship, said she was relieved when she saw her mother in images on TV. “She was running during the attacks and was helping wounded people.”
Tezcan said her younger sister gave her baby doll to her mother and told her to give it to children in Gaza.
When her mother left home on May 24 for Antalya in preparation for boarding the ship at the Mediterranean port, Sümeyye Sena Tezcan said it was an ordinary day for the family. The mother was excited about the trip and was looking forward to seeing Gaza for the first time when the family last saw her at the İHH building, according to the daughter.
“She told us to take care of each other before leaving. We were afraid, we were worried, but never expected something horrible like this could happen,” she said.
Preparing for bad news
But while some families rejoiced at the apparent safety of their loved ones, many others were much worried about the fate of their loved ones.
Selma Erkal, whose brother Şahin İbrahim Güleryüz, 42, was on the ship, came immediately to the İHH building as soon as she saw the videos on TV.
She said she saw her brother in the videos on TV. “He had fainted, his head fallen on his chest, and there were people trying to help him,” said Erkal, who believed her brother had been wounded.
“We wanted to believe that he is only wounded, but he could also be dead. He has two sons and we did not tell his wife what we saw. We wouldn’t know what to say,” said Erkal, who was waiting at İHH in hope of good news.
Like others, Erkal said she was expecting a response from Israel, although not one so fatal. “I did not expect such a wild intervention. They were all unarmed people carrying humanitarian aid.”
Hatice Çorluk, whose son Fevzi Çorluk, 24, was on the ship, said she had expected the Israeli army’s response.
Struggling to speak due to her anguish, Çorluk said Turkey had abandoned those onboard.
Neslihan Üstündağ, Fevzi Çorluk’s sister, said those on the ship had called for help many times during the night before the attack occurred. “But Turkey did not do anything. It could have sent a ship to help them.”
The members of the Çorluk family said they had been crying all day and that they simply wanted to receive good news about their loved one’s condition.
Hayrünnisa Abdurrahman, a mother of four, said she was afraid her husband, Abdülahad Abdurrahman, 40, could be dead.
“He is a man who cannot stand injustice. I fear that he might have intervened during the attacks to save people from Israeli soldiers,” she said through tears. Abdurrahman has four children.
Before leaving home, Abdurrahman told his wife that the journey could be potentially fatal and asked for her blessing.
When he boarded the vessel, he had no possessions that could be construed as a weapon except a sewing needle with which to repair any tears to his pants, she said.
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