Activists meanwhile, promised to send more ships in an effort to break the Gaza blockade.
Hundreds of balloons were released as the ship, Mavi Marmara, sailed into Istanbul's Sarayburnu port, following repairs at a port on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
The activists, mostly members of pro-Islamic groups, waved Palestinian and Turkish flags and chanted ``down with Israel'' and ``Allah is great'' as they greeted the vessel.
Protesters also boarded boats to welcome the approaching ship, which was adorned with a poster of the nine activists from Turkey who were killed during the raid.
The ship was part of an international flotilla carrying supplies to Gaza in a campaign to breach the blockade on Gaza when Israeli troops intercepted the convoy.
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