Hamas welcomed a decision by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the circumstances of the calamitous IDF raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said it was a move in the right direction, but that "Israel must be obligated to honor the decisions of the investigation, and not be allowed to escape punishment".

Abu-Zuhri also mentioned that establishing the Goldstone committee had been a proper move in its time, "but the international community allowed Israel to evade its legal ramifications and standing trial".

"We need to have guarantees to force Israel to honor the outcomes of this investigation," he added.

Fatah also welcomed the UN decision. "It's time to punish Israel's war crimes and make Israel stop behaving as if it were above the law," the organization said in a statement. It also called for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza.