Netanyahu said that Turkish President Recep Erdogan has instructed the Turkish security agencies to help bring back Israeli who are captive or missing and in the hands of Hamas.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu announced Monday afternoon at a news conference in Rome that Israel and Turkey had reached a reconciliation agreement.
The official said that Israel accepted a number of Turkish requests side, including compensation and Turkey’s humanitarian presence in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
The first ship carrying over 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid from Turkey to Gaza will set out for Ashdod Port next Friday, Yıldırım said.
Israeli and Turkish representatives reportedly held June 26 talks in Rome, where Netanyahu was to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
The deal also stipulates that Turkey will be allowed to build a power station and desalination plant in Gaza.
The vessels had been trying to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
A restoration of ties also offers each country wider regional support as both have controversial interior policies criticized by the global community.
Netanyahu stressed that in the agreement Turkey obligated itself not to allow any preparation for terrorist attacks against Israel from its territory.
Netanyahu enumerated the seven main points of the agreement, including protecting the commanders and fighters of the IDF from criminal and civil charges; maintaining the naval blockade of Gaza and assistance from Turkey in repatriating the bodies of two Israeli soldiers and two Israeli citizens being held by Hamas in Gaza.
“Israel realized Turkey is perhaps the most reasonable customer for its gas exports because it needs the gas and is relatively strong financially”, according to Alon Liel, a former director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and onetime head of mission to Turkey.
Israel will create a $20 million fund to compensate the families of the nine Turks killed and others injured in the Mavi Marmara incident, and cancels the lawsuits and criminal charges in Turkey against Israel and its soldiers.
When asked about the prospects for energy relations, Yildirim said that the political and diplomatic ties would be the priority in implementing the agreement.
The Turkish leader also thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for his contributions to the reconciliation deal.
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The deal also came under criticism in Israel from the families of servicemen killed fighting Hamas in a 2014 Gaza war. “Once the normalization starts it will be up to two countries to decide to what extent they want to cooperate and on what issues”.
