Obama wants facts on tragic aid raid

US President Barack Obama has called on the Israeli premier to launch an investigation to find “all the facts” surrounding the attack on the Freedom Flotilla.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to meet Obama at the White House on Tuesday. However, he cancelled the visit following Israel’s attack on a Gaza-bound convoy of humanitarian aid which resulted in the killing of 20 international activists.

In a phone conversation, Obama and Netanyahu “agreed to reschedule their meeting at the first opportunity,” the White House said in a statement, on Monday, AFP reported.

“The president (Obama) expressed deep regret at the loss of life in today’s incident, and concern for the wounded, many of whom are being treated in Israeli hospitals,” added the statement.

“The president also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning’s tragic events as soon as possible,” it said.

Obama, however, refrained from censuring Israel for launching a military attack on the humanitarian ships aboard which were hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.

The Israeli attack on the aid convoy drew international condemnations. Many countries across Europe summoned the Israeli envoys, following the bloody raid.

The international organizations, including the United Nations Security Council and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have called for meetings on the brutal attack, which took place in international waters some 150 km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.