A plane carrying activists wounded after Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza flotilla has landed in Turkey.

At least two people wounded in Monday's deadly assault, including one Turkish and one Irish national, were transferred to hospitals in Ankara shortly after landing on Wednesday.

Hundreds of other activists are expected to land in Turkey in the coming hours.

Officials in Israel said earlier that they had released about 700 activists seized from the Gaza aid flotilla and sent them for deportation.

Israel defiant

Israel has remained defiant about the raid and says it is ready to intercept another aid ship, the Rachel Corrie, that organizers of the Freedom Flotilla planned to send to the Gaza Strip next week.

Accusing international critics of "hypocrisy," Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, defended the seizure of the aid ships on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem said the speech did not include mention of a probe into the incident, as many have demanded.

"If the international community or the Turkish government were waiting to hear Binyamin Netanyahu announce an independent investigation to look into this deadly raid, it certainly did not come as expected, or as the international community and the UN Security Council had demanded," Mohyeldin said.

"Instead the Israeli prime minister once again defended the Israeli course of action."

Netanyahu's comments came hours after Turkey warned it would cut off diplomatic ties with Israel if its citizens killed and injured in the Gaza flotilla raid were not returned by Wednesday night.

Legal action considered

Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, also called for an international commission into the raid on the convoy of six ships, which reportedly killed at least four Turkish nationals.

"We have clearly stated that we would review our ties with Israel if all Turks not released by the end of the day," Davutoglu told a news conference on Wednesday.

Turkey sent three planes to retrieve hundreds of activists detained following Monday's raid in international waters, which left nine people dead.

Davutoglu added Turkey was ready to normalize ties with Israel if it lifted its blockade on Gaza, saying "it was time calm replaces anger".

Relations between Turkey and Israel deteriorated rapidly following the deadly raid, with most of the bloodshed occurring on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-flagged ship carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists.

State media reported on Wednesday that Turkey's justice ministry is considering legal action against Israel.

Officials are looking into both domestic and international law to see what action might be undertaken after Monday's operation in international waters, a report by the Anatolia news agency said.

Thousands of Turks staged two days of protests across the country denouncing the action.

PHOTO CAPTION

A demonstrator waves Palestinian flags on Taksim Square during a protest against Israel in Istanbul.

Al-Jazeera