The United Nations Security Council has kicked off its emergency meeting on the deadly Israeli raid against the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla. The UNSC started the session on Monday after Turkey urged a meeting over the brutal killing of activists in international waters by Israeli forces, AFP reported. The meeting was called by Lebanon's ambassador to the UN, Nawaf Salam, who currently holds the presidency of the Security Council. Lebanon and Turkey are both rotating non-permanent members of the UNSC. The Tel Aviv regime is facing a wave of international condemnation over the raid on the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, which was carrying thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies to the impoverished people of Gaza. Palestinian sources say at least 20 activists were killed and 50 others were injured during the attack. An unnamed diplomat told Reuters that council members were hoping to adopt a statement voicing their anger at the incident and possibly backing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's call for an investigation into the bloody assault. ======================================== The Turkish foreign minister has told the UN Security Council that Israel should be held accountable for its deadly attack on the flotilla carrying humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Ahmet Davutoglu said that Israel has "lost all legitimacy" because of the onslaught that left at least 20 peace activists dead and many others wounded. Most of those killed in the assault were from Turkey. "A nation-state that follows this path has lost its legitimacy as a respectful member of the international community," he said on Monday during an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council called to discuss the act of aggression. In the incident, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on Monday, killing at least 20 people on board the six ships, mostly Turkish nationals, and injuring about 50 others. The flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of relief supplies, including food and construction material, for the besieged people of Gaza. Davutoglu also urged the United Nations Security Council to strongly respond to the Israeli attack and called for an urgent inquiry into the deadly attack. The Turkish foreign minister said that Israeli leaders must be brought to justice over the crime because "Israel's action is a grave breach of international law." "This is tantamount to banditry and piracy," he said, adding, "It is murder conducted by a state." "Israel has committed a serious crime, in total disregard of all the values that we have vowed to uphold since the establishment of the United Nations system," Davutoglu stated. The UN Security Council started the emergency session on Monday after Turkey called for a meeting on the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla. ================================================= South Africa has strongly condemned Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla and called for a concerted global effort to find a solution to the question of Palestine. In a statement issued by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Pretoria strongly condemned all military aggression by Israel against innocent civilians, including the people of the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a Press TV correspondent reported. In the incident, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on Monday, killing at least 20 people on board the six ships, mostly Turkish nationals, and injuring about 50 others. The flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of relief supplies, including food and construction material, for the besieged people of Gaza. South Africa has urged Israel to lift its siege of the Gaza Strip, which has caused untold hardship for the ordinary people of Gaza and prompted the international community to organize relief efforts for the territory. Israel stands solely responsible for the loss of life in the attack on the flotilla, the statement noted. The statement referred to the UN report written by a team led by former international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone which was critical of Israel for carrying out military actions in Gaza with the resultant loss of life of innocent civilians. South Africa called for a concerted international effort to bring about a broader solution to the question of Palestine, which will ultimately contribute to the establishment of peace in the Middle East. The statement expressed hope that the international community would seriously address Israel's act of aggression, which took place in international waters and involved citizens from across the globe.