Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 14,000 tons of supplies will be sailed to Gaza from Turkey before the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday early July, Anadolu Agency reported. Speaking on Monday, Erdogan said a planned normalization of relations with Israel would see “basic necessities such as food, footwear, [and] clothing” sent from Mersin port in Turkey.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended in 2010 after Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara — a Turkish aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip — in international waters.
The attack on the six civilian vessels, which had been trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, resulted in the death of nine Turkish citizens and left another 30 injured, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries.
In the aftermath of the attack, Turkey demanded a formal apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed, and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade.
In 2013, Netanyahu voiced his regret for the attack.
On Monday, months of talks between the two countries finally bore fruit, with Turkey announcing that a deal would be signed the following day to normalize relations with Israel.
According to the deal, Israel will pay a total of $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims.
