Fears for city woman on aid convoy stormed by soldiers

Up to 16 people in the convoy are reported killed with another 30 wounded. The Israelis launched their attack overnight, landing by helicopter on at least one of the ships. Theresa McDermott, 43,

from Pilrig, is on one of the smaller vessels in the six-ship flotilla, carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid to break the long-standing Israeli blockade.

It is understood her ship was not boarded by the Israeli commandos, but the whole flotilla is now expected to be escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod, 40 kilometres south of the capital Tel Aviv.

Ms McDermott, a post office worker who has taken annual leave to join the convoy, is a leading member of Free Gaza-Scotland and has been on several previous aid missions. Last year she was arrested and jailed by the Israeli authorities before being deported.

Carl Abernethy, a co-ordinator with Free Gaza-Scotland, said: "We are obviously concerned for her safety and wellbeing given that people are dying and being injured.

"Theresa takes these risks knowingly because she believes so passionately in the rights of the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza in particular, who have been suffering horrendously for years."

He said Ms McDermott had left two weeks ago to sail with the convoy.

"We had collected a lot of goods and bought a lot of things in Edinburgh with donations from people here, including footballs and football tops and water bottles from Hibernian FC, who donated some things to take to the children in Gaza.

"There were also rough terrain wheelchairs, Zimmer frames, medical equipment, children's toys, paper, pens and crayons, all of which are on the banned list – the Israelis won't let them in. Theresa had taken these to the Irish ship that's in the convoy, but she went as a crew member on one of the smaller ships."

Ms McDermott has been on three previous voyages and she was involved in training some of the activists who were joining the latest convoy.

The Israeli military said at least ten people had died when they stormed the ships. Other reports put the figure at 16.

The Israeli army said the soldiers were attacked with knives and clubs as they boarded the six vessels in the Mediterranean early today. They said the raid turned deadly after one of the activists grabbed a weapon from one of the commandos and the weapon discharged.

But Mr Abernethy said: "The Israelis have been threatening for days to do this and they said they were going to send in their best commandos.

"If these are their best trained commandos, landing on a boat where there are only unarmed civilians, aged from one and a half to 80, the only way they are going to shoot those civilians would be if they had been ordered to do so."

The activists claim the Israelis launched their attack while the aid convoy was still in international waters. Mr Abernethy said: "It seems to have been 65 kilometres from Gaza, which is well into international waters. They had no right to do that.

"I expect the convoy will now be shepherded to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where they have a detention centre ready."