It’s the military failure combined with the international damage. Most people could live with that if it had been done successful. It’s not that people are angry that people in Gaza are hungry. It was an operation that was ill-conceived and didn’t go well enough. They hate when things go wrong.
Israeli historian Tom Segev • Regarding Israel’s response to the military failure of the flotilla mission. Some feel like the activists pushed Israel into a trap that the military stepped in. Others feel that, due to this mission, the country lost the moral high ground they once had. As a result, while there’s lots of criticism on the international stage, there are completely different kinds of criticism in Israel itself. Oh, and now the Gaza situation is back in the world spotlight, meaning the criticism of Israel’s gonna last a while. source
It’s a tiny strip that’s only been open for small periods since 2007. While Egypt still has beef with Hamas, they opened that strip so Gaza could get humanitarian aid into the enclave, which is otherwise completely surrounded by Israel (or Israel-blocked water). Hard materials – like steel and concrete to rebuild from the 2009 bombings by Israel – wouldn’t be allowed through Egypt, however. Still a big step, though. source