The Turkish prime minister said on Monday that Turkey and Syria once more condemned the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey and Syria once more strongly condemned the Israeli attack on a convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which concerned 32 countries as well as Turkey.

"The attack was staged in open seas and 72 miles off Israel, and it targeted at unarmed volunteers, which has made the incident more grave," Erdogan told a joint press conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Asad in Istanbul.

Al-Asad is visiting Turkey to participate in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA). Erdogan and al-Asad discussed bilateral and regional matters during their meeting.

During the press conference, Erdogan said Israeli attack was a violation of international law and humanitarian values.

Erdogan said the ships were heading for Gaza for only peace and humanity and to dispatch humanitarian aid to people of Gaza.

"If we are talking about a terrorism in the Mediterranean, this is the state terrorism carried out by the Israel government," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also said use of force against civilians could no way be justified, and Israeli excuses were not convincing and were unacceptable.

Nine people, including eight Turkish and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent, died when Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31. Around 30 people were wounded in the attack.

Prime Minister Erdogan also had a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

AA