A/HRC/15/21 104. The passengers on board the Rachel Corrie agreed and notified the Israelis before boarding that no resistance would be offered to the Israeli forces. Preparation and planning on the Gazze 1 and Defne Y 105. There is no information to suggest that any specific preparations were made by the crew or passengers of Gazze1 and Defne Y to defend against a possible boarding. B. 1. The interception of the Gaza flotilla by the Israeli Navy on 31 May 2010 Factual description and findings 106. (a) The Mission found the following facts to have been established to its satisfaction. Contacts between the Israeli Navy and the vessels of the flotilla 107. The flotilla left the rendezvous point at 1554 hours on 30 May 2010 and proceeded in a south-westerly direction on course 222 degrees. This course was altered to 185 degrees, approximately due south, at 2330 hours upon drawing level with the coast of Israel and in order to maintain a course roughly parallel to the coast. The flotilla maintained a distance of 70 nautical miles from the coast since a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) advisory had warned that the Israeli military were conducting exercises up to 68 nautical miles from the coast. 108. The first radio contact with the Israeli Navy was at approximately 2230 hours. Each vessel was contacted by the Israeli Navy, one after the other, on Channel 16 and requested to switch to an alternative channel. Each vessel refused to switch in order that the conversation could be monitored by all shipping. The Israeli Navy requested each vessel to identify itself and state its destination. It then warned each vessel, with some variations, it was approaching an area of hostilities which is under a naval blockade, that the Gaza maritime area is closed to all vessels and that they must change course to deliver their supplies to the Port of Ashdod in Israel. In some of the messages, the captain of each vessel was warned that he would be held personally responsible for any consequences of a failure to comply with the Israeli request. The Israeli Navy’s contacts were similar to those in relation to previous Free Gaza Movement efforts to enter Gaza by sea. 109. In response, the captains of the various vessels stated that their destination was Gaza and the purpose was to deliver humanitarian aid. They also asserted that the Israeli forces did not have the right to order the vessels to change course and that the blockade referred to was illegal. A representative of the Free Gaza Movement spoke to the Israelis on behalf of the whole flotilla, reiterating that the passengers were unarmed civilians delivering humanitarian aid and that none of the ships that should be considered as any form of threat to Israel. At no stage was a request made by the Israeli Navy for the cargo to be inspected. Contacts with the Israeli Navy continued until around 0200 hours when communication equipment was jammed by the Israeli forces, cutting them off to all external communications. However, the vessels in the flotilla were able to maintain contact with one another via handheld two-way radios. 110. In early June 2010, audio recordings were released by the Israeli authorities of apparent exchanges between the Israeli Navy and the Defne Y which included insulting references by unknown persons referring to “Auschwitz” and the 11 September 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. However, the Mission is not satisfied that these recordings are authentic, nor has the Government of Israel made this material available to the Mission for appropriate examination. The Mission was given positive evidence that no such statements were made by anyone involved in communications on the flotilla. 24