Israeli Raid: Where's the Truth?

As most of you probably know (or should know, at least ) Israel is currently in its most recent diplomatic crisis over the disastrous raid that Israeli commandos attempted on the lead ship of a flotilla that was attempting to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and bring 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid with to the impoverished region. The protesters and Israeli government have two very different accounts of the event: the Israeli government claims that the protesters formed a lynch mob that attacked the commandos as they landed on the deck of the ship with bludgeons and knives, and a couple of them apparently wrestled pistols from the commandos and shot them. But according to the protesters, the commandos opened fire from the helicopters before landing, and none of the protesters were armed at that time (note that the protesters' account doesn't claim that they were unarmed AFTER the commandos landed on the deck).

My personal opinion? As anyone would be, I deplore the loss of human life when it is not necessary to do so. It was known that the flotilla would set sail for months, and the Israeli government could have prepared more thoroughly. They underestimated the protesters and even armed some of their commandos with paintball guns, instead of using tear gas on the ship and THEN boarding it. On the other hand, if you see the videos, the protesters are obviously wailing on the commandos with baseball bats and other weapons. They were not unarmed and they knew that they could not get pass the Israeli navy. Furthermore, 10,000 tons of aid is a really small amount of material for any region; it could not have done much. It can be said fairly certain that the protesters set sail with the intent that they would get into a conflict with the Israeli military and would thus win the PR War, making the world turn yet again on Israel, at least for the time being.