World Bulletin / News Desk

Three Americans and a Belgian are suing Israel in US court for injuries sustained when Israeli naval commandos turned back a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

According to The Washington post, the lawsuit was filed Monday.

The plaintiffs were aboard the US-flagged Challenger 1, one of the six in the  May 2010 flotilla that was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza Palestinians, but aimed at breaking the Gaza blockade. According to the suit, the plaintiffs suffered injuries including partial loss of sight from a stun grenade and a broken nose from a rubber bullet.

The Challenger 1 was carrying media equipment as well as 17 passengers and crew members, according to the Post.

Nine Turkish citizens as well as a Turkish-American were killed on another ship, the Mavi Marmara, during a raid by the commandos.

The plaintiffs are Americans David Schermerhorn and Mary Ann Wright, a retired US diplomat; a dual US-Israeli citizen, Huwaida Arraf, and Belgian national Margriet Deknopper.

The Washington Post also noted that US law forbids lawsuits against foreign governments  but only for a number of exceptions. The case "may turn on whether a court finds that the action against a US-flagged ship in international waters should be treated as an assault in the United States or that Israel’s conduct was so egregious that it is not entitled to immunity," the Post reported.