Turkey's Chief Negotiator for EU membership talks Egemen Bagis on Monday said that Israel held Turkish citizens "hostage" after Israeli naval commandos stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in a pre-dawn raid that killed at least 10 activists and wounded many more.

"The flotilla had no aim other than delivering humanitarian aid. We do not know how many people were killed and our citizens are still held hostage," Bagis told a conference in Rome.

Bagis said the Turkish nation including the Jewish community living in Turkey was deeply saddened by the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla.

AA