Detained NZer saw activist killed

Nicola Enchmarch. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand activist Nicola Enchmarch says she saw a man shot in the head by Israeli forces after they stormed the Gaza-bound aid ship she was on.

Ms Enchmarch, who was with the aid organisation Viva Palestina, was among hundreds of activists detained in the raid, in which nine activists were killed.

She said she saw an activist shot on the deck after the forces stormed the ship, part of a flotilla attempting to breach a blockade to deliver aid to Gaza.

"He was shot in the head - probably live ammunition because the back of his head, the injury was severe," she told the BBC.

"He died there and we had to move because it was just getting crazy, there was a lot of gunfire coming from all directions."

Her group moved down from the deck to shelter inside and escape the danger. On the way she saw a man shot in the back, who survived.

She said the activists were acting defensively while the Israeli forces were menacing and aggressive. They set off sound bombs and released what was possibly tear gas.

"There was a lot of noise, a lot of chaos, a lot of gunfire."

The activists were detained on the ship for about 17 hours in "horrible conditions", with restrictions on using the bathroom.

"We were bound with handcuffs. Some of the men were blindfolded," she said.

"I was shunted off into basically solitary confinement because I was hassling them to undo some of the people that needed it, and they rebound me."

The Israeli government deported the activists without charges on Wednesday amid mounting international pressure against its actions.

Ms Enchmarch was sent to Turkey and was at Istanbul airport on her way to Britain.

Israel has maintained its commandos were attacked first, while the flotilla's organisers said the Israeli forces simply opened fire.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully met with Israeli Ambassador Shemi Tzur on Tuesday to convey the New Zealand Government's concern, including its support of an international investigation.

He was reluctant to make accusations about the clash until there were more answers.

The Israeli Embassy in Wellington said it was regrettable that lives were lost, but maintained the blame lay with those who tried to violate the blockade.

- NZPA