A Bradford man who was on-board a ship taking humanitarian aid to Gaza has described the “total chaos” as Israeli commandos raided the boat – leaving nine dead and a further six missing.

Mohammed Bhaiyat, 27, of Great Horton, returned to Bradford yesterday after a terrifying ordeal which saw him dodge a hail of bullets before being detained in an Israeli jail.

He had been aboard the Turkish vessel, the Mavi Marmara, when it was boarded by Israeli troops about 78 miles from Gaza in international waters.

Mr Bhaiyat, of Hardknot Close, said he and other peace activists had tried to form a “human shield” against the Israeli commandos as they boarded from a helicopter and opened fire.

He said: “There were people running for cover and trying to get inside the ship. There were people shot in the leg and shot in the stomach.

“We managed to get to one guy, a Turkish man, who had been shot in the neck. We managed to take him inside but, as soon as we got him there, he passed away. It was just total chaos.”

Mr Bhaiyat was shot with a paint cartridge and a Turkish aid worker suffered a gun shot wound to his leg as he stood next to Mr Bhaiyat. Paying tribute to those who died, Mr Bhaiyat said: “All they were trying to do was to take humanitarian aid and building materials to people who needed them.”

Responding to world criticism of the storming of the ship at the time, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said: “We have no doubt regarding the real intention of the flotilla. It’s not about humanitarian aid.

“You can see clearly from the footage that when they boarded they were attacked with knives and sharp metal objects and left with not much option but to respond.”

Meanwhile, more than 200 people, including Mr Bhaiyat’s father, Ziauddin, 54, joined a rally through the city over the weekend to celebrate his release.

The latest stand-off has raised international pressure on Israel to lift the three-year-old blockade that has left Gaza’s 1.5 million residents facing deep poverty.

At the march on Saturday, the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James, added his voice to the growing condemnation of the Israeli government’s blockade.

He said: “I think the treatment of people in Gaza is quite horrific and the latest incident just highlights what has been going on for a number of years.

“The innocent people in Gaza are being punished by Israel. They are short of food, or medical supplies, of building supplies and they are on the verge of collapse.”

Mr James added: “The blockade needs to be lifted and if the Israeli government does not lift it, I think the UN, whose security council has condemned it, should send its own flotilla of aid.”