Turkish ambassador to Israel returns to Istanbul
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Turkish Ambassador Oguz Celikkol to Israel on Thursday returned to Istanbul after 19 wounded activists, and nine bodies were brought from Israel to Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
On Monday, Turkey decided to recall its ambassador to Israel due to Israel's raid on a Turkish-flagged ship of Gaza aid fleet. Celikkol came back to Turkey for consultations in January 2010 after Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned him to express Israel's uneasiness over a Turkish TV-series showing Israeli agents kidnapping a child.
During the meeting, Ayalon had Celikkol sit at a lower armchair in front of a table with only the Israeli flag on it, and refused to shake his hand in front of the press.
The diplomatic crisis ended when Israel apologized with a letter after repeated calls from Turkey warning it would withdraw its ambassador. Celikkol then returned to Israel.
Nineteen wounded activists, 466 activists and nine bodies were brought from Israel to Turkey by six planes late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
One ambulance plane from the Turkish Health Ministry carrying two seriously wounded activists arrived at a military base in Ankara late Wednesday night and other two Turkish ambulance planes, carrying 17 activists landed in the Turkish capital Ankara early Thursday.
The seriously wounded men include Turkish citizen Imdat Avli and an Irish citizen, said Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag late Wednesday.
All the injured were sent to Ataturk Hospital in Ankara for medical treatment, local private NTV reported.
Three airplanes carrying 466 activists and nine bodies arrived in Ataturk Airport in the Turkish largest city of Istanbul early Thursday.
On Monday, an Israeli raid on the convoy of ships with more than 600 people on board killed nine people and injured nearly 30 others. Four of the dead were Turkish citizens.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also at the airport at midnight to welcome the wounded Turkish citizens.
Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia that Turkey, once again, condemned Israel's raid on aid flotilla, adding that Israel would be called to account.
Davutoglu said Turkey would continue to protect rights of its citizens.
"Turkey will also exert all efforts for completion of the investigation in an international committee," Davutoglu said.
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