Two German parliamentarians from the Gaza aid flotilla deny Israeli commandos were acting in self-defence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to lift its Gaza blockade. In an interview with Reuters News Agency on Tuesday, Ban said that if Israel had heeded international calls to end it, then the raid on a Gaza aid ship flotilla would not have happened. The statement follows UN Security Council condemnation of Israel's naval operation, which left 9 activists dead. Israel has since released many of the 700 international activists involved in the Gaza convoy - among them two German parliamentarians.