As the Turkel Committee probing the deadly flotilla incident continues, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi testified that he believes the IDF should have shot first. The commandoes expected between 10- and 15 peace activists on the deck and therefore were equipped with stun grenades and non-lethal rifles. Instead, the commandoes faced armed militants who attacked and severely beat them as they descended unto the ship. Ashkenzai said, "We should have used accurate weapons to incapacitate whoever was preventing the soldiers from coming down." The badly beaten soldiers ended up killing nine militants on board.