The Israeli official confirmed the details of the agreement on Sunday.
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The deal, set to be signed Tuesday, requires Israel to provide $20 million in compensation to the families of the victims of the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.
Many in Israel had expressed reservations about the deal, as it did not stipulate the immediate release of the soldiers.
Kerry relayed backing from the Obama administration, Vice President Joe Biden in particular, who volunteered an American oil and gas expert to facilitate concurrent economic talks on a suspected adjoining energy agreement between Israel and Turkey.
“Turkey needs more allies, or at least no more enemies, against the backdrop of a regional situation that is most likely to continue to generate insecurity and instability in the foreseeable future”, said Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based think tank EDAM and visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels.
Kerry also hailed the deal as a “positive step”, while United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, called it a “hopeful signal for the stability of the region”.
Turkey has urged Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, which is ruled by the Palestinian Islamist militant organization Hamas.
The Israeli navy killed 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla on May 10 as activists tried to breach an Israel’s Gaza blockade.
The prime minister also said the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) was pursuing a housing development project in Gaza.
Netanyahu also said the deal would give a big boost to the Israeli economy by opening the key Turkish market to Israeli natural gas exports and by providing a gateway to the European market as well. On Friday Hamas Khaled Mashaal traveled to Turkey to met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for private talks. Israel says the blockade is necessary to keep out material that could be used for military purposes in the Strip, which is run by the terror group Hamas.
The deal between Israel and Turkey helps solve at least a piece of the dizzying, diplomatic puzzle that is the modern Middle East, reports the New York Times.
The reconciliation deal reached between Turkey and Israel is seen as a diplomatic victory for Turkey in Israeli media outlets, with mixed reactions ranging from discontent to praise, emphasizing the benefits of the agreement for Turkey. Yildirim did not comment on Israeli claims that Turkey agreed to prevent Hamas from fundraising or military activities on its soil.
“May they excuse us”, Erdogan wrote in an official letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, although Russian press characterized the exchange as a full-fledged apology.
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Netanyahu assured Israel that “the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip would remain in place following the deal but that Turkey would be able to send supplies to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod”.
