Israel began releasing activists detained from a Gaza aid flotilla Tuesday as humanitarian cargo aboard the ships was unloaded and taken into the blockaded Palestinian territory.
Israel's moves came as the Jewish state came under blistering international criticism, especially from Turkey, its closest Muslim ally.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of a "bloody massacre." "We see clear murder taking place, and we see an aggressive country" that's not regretting this, Erdogan said Tuesday in a parliamentary address. "We're sick and tired of your lies. Be honest."
In an hourlong conversation with U.S. President Obama, Erdogan said that "Israel is about to face the danger of losing its only friend in the region that made the highest contribution to peace in the region," the Turkish prime minister's office said in a statement. "The steps that it will take in the coming days will determine its position in the region."
Also Tuesday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak approved the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt for humanitarian purposes, state-owned television reported.
The border crossing that links Egypt to Gaza will be kept open for only a few days, Palestinian officials said.
In Cairo, Egypt, demonstrators gathered in front of the upper house of parliament and called on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador.
In Gaza, women and children rallied outside a U.N. office in opposition to the Israelis.
And in Indonesia, about 1,000 protesters from a hard-line Islamic group marched in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. The group's spokesman called Israel "a cruel colonizer."
Meanwhile, three people died in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, Palestinian sources said. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it launched a strike that it said generated secondary explosions, suggesting that ammunition or explosives were in the area.
Israel imposed a blockade of Gaza in 2007 after the militant Hamas took control of the Palestinian area and Egypt closed off the Rafah crossing. The aid flotilla challenged the blockade.
The IDF said the aid aboard the flotilla's three cargo ships had been transferred into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, a main entry point used by Israel.
In the predawn raid, Israeli soldiers rappelled onto the deck of the ships from a helicopter. The boarding of the ships took place in international waters more than 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers) outside Israeli territorial waters, according to Insani Yardim Vakfi, or IHH, one of the flotilla organizers.
It is not clear how many people died. Israel put the number at nine but did not release the names of those who died. The Free Gaza Movement, one of the groups that organized the six-ship convoy, said the fatalities numbered higher but did not offer an exact number.
Seven Israeli soldiers were wounded in the raid, the IDF said Monday. Turkey was dispatching three planes to bring back 20 wounded citizens.
Israel described the flotilla as a "provocation." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled meeting with Obama this week to return to Israel to manage the crisis. Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israeli troops had faced a lynch mob.
Yigal Palmor, the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday that Israel regrets the casualties but said "the sole responsibility" for the violent incident lies with activists who have "chosen violence and confrontation."
Israel said Tuesday that about 600 activists in the flotilla were initially taken to Beer Sheva prison in southern Israel but that all of them would be released within 48 hours.
Activists directly involved in violence against Israeli soldiers will be charged accordingly, said an Israeli Foreign Ministry official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Forty-five activists agreed to identify themselves to Israeli authorities and are citizens of the following countries: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. They have now either left Israel or are on their way out of the country, an Israeli official said.
Those who remain detained are ones who have refused to identify themselves to Israeli immigration authorities, an Israeli Prison Authority spokesman told reporters. None have been placed under arrest, he said.
The process involved in deporting foreigners is more complicated because it requires the involvement of foreign diplomats, police said.
