An Israeli military probe into the naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla says commandos were under-prepared and mistakes were made at a senior level.

The report says the use of force was the only way to stop the flotilla, but the operation suffered from flawed intelligence and inadequate planning.

Commanders also relied too heavily on one single plan, Israel says.

Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in the naval raid in international waters, which provoked a major outcry.

The report criticised a lack of co-ordination between military and intelligence bodies and it said preparations for the takeover of the ships were inadequate during the 31 May operation.

As they dropped from helicopters onto the deck of one vessel, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli forces were met with a violent reception from some of those on board who were armed with clubs and knives and at least one gun, found the report.

Retired general Giora Eiland, who chaired the panel tasked with scrutinising the operation, said the use of force had been the only way to stop the flotilla, as he presented the results of the investigation to media in Tel Aviv.

But he added: "Mistakes were made in the various decisions taken, including within relatively senior ranks, which contributed to the result not being as we would have wished," reports news agency AFP.

"In this inquiry we found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process."

This is the first of two inquiries and looks at the military aspects of the operation. The wider ramifications - political and legal - will be examined in another inquiry.

The source from: BBC

FK

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