At the end of May 2010 a flotilla of six ships left from Turkey towards the Gaza Strip. The main purpose of the flotilla, according to its organizers, was to bring humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip. On 31 May 2010 the Israeli navy raided the ships some 40 kilometres away from Gaza shores. During the takeover, a violent confrontation occurred in which nine activists were killed on one of the ships and several Israeli soldiers were injured as well as dozens of passengers from several ships. At the end of the operation the ships were seized by the Israeli navy and taken to the port of Ashdod.