Charges over aid ship deaths

A TURKISH court has approved an indictment seeking multiple life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 deaths of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The approval effectively marks the start of a trial in absentia against the four.

Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nine Turks were killed during the clashes with activists on board the ship.

The indictment calls for between 8,000 and 18,000 life sentences for each of the men, state news said.