The UN called on Israel to accede to demands for an international inquiry of the event surrounding the IDF raid of the Gaza flotilla Monday night, even as the Israeli Cabinet approved a committee to pursue an internal Israeli inquiry of the matter.

"The Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] takes note of the Israeli announcement on their inquiry," UN spokesman Farhan Haq was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Haq added, though, that Ban's "proposal for an international inquiry remains on the table and he hopes for a positive Israeli response."

Meanwhile, in the US calls have been growing for the US to open its own investigation of the flotilla affair.

More than 23,000 people have a signed a petition urging the US State Department to investigate passengers on the Mavi Marmara who are expected to visit New York on a speaking tour this week.

Organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the petition asks the US government to look critically at those applying for visas to enter the country, particularly those affiliated with IHH. The petition cites a 2006 report by the Danish Institute for International Studies, which documents a link between IHH and al-Qaida and “global jihad networks” in the 1990s.