VATICAN CITY, Jun 01, 2010 (AFP) - Israel's deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla "will not influence" Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cyprus at the weekend, the Vatican spokesman said Tuesday.
Monday's raid was "a very sad and distressing event for the general climate" in the Middle East, but it will not affect the pontiff's three-day visit beginning on Friday, Federico Lombardi told a news conference unveiling the pope's programme.
The flotilla headed for Gaza from a mustering point in international waters off Cyprus on Sunday.
Israeli commandos boarded one of the aid ships in a pre-dawn raid on Monday that left at least nine passengers dead and sparked global outrage. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists were also arrested.
The Israeli military accused activists aboard the ship of provoking the bloodshed by attacking its soldiers as they boarded the vessel.
Cyprus has been the jumping-off point for a series of bids to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza since it was imposed in 2007.
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