. . .The Israeli attack has sparked protests in several countries and brought condemnation worldwide. Davutoglu said Tuesday that for Turks, the attack is psychologically “like 9/11.”

Turkey is historically Israel’s closest Muslim ally in the Middle East.

The Freedom Flotilla was organized by the Free Gaza Movement, a Cyprus-based human rights group, and the pro-Palestinian Turkish organization Insani Yardim Vakfi. The flotilla of six ships — three passenger and three cargo vessels — left Cyprus on Sunday, carrying more than 10,000 tons of aid and about 600 passengers from more than 20 countries, the movement said.