Necdet Yıldırım is one of the victims of the pirate attack on the aid flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestine via international waters. He was born in Istanbul on 15 August 1978. A native of Malatya Province, Yıldırım went to primary and high-school in Istanbul. He started working at the Pharmacy Unit of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation in 2005. He married Refika in 2007 and had a two-year-old daughter named Melek.   

“He was always cheerful, calm, patient and very compassionate,” say his neighbors in Başakşehir district. His family describes him as merciful, cheerful, and embodiment of patience. Yıldırım was very loved by his coworkers.  

Moving to Çorlu, Tekirdağ because of his job, Yıldırım voluntarily took part in the aid convoy that aimed to break the Gaza embargo. On Monday May 31, 2010 at around 04:00 when the Mavi Marmara boat, which was carrying humanitarian aid, came under the Israeli raid, he climbed to the upper deck of the boat to help his wounded friends. He was killed with real bullets used by Israeli soldiers to stop the humanitarian aid ship.