U.N. experts said in a report on Tuesday that Israel committed the crime against humanity of "extermination" by killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, part of a "concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life.

The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it referred to as suspects who it said had advanced toward its troops hundreds of yards from the aid site prior to its opening hours.

The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, aimed to deliver symbolic aid to Gaza.