Turkey had demanded that Israel lift its blockade of Gaza before normalizing relations, while Israel demanded that Turkey prevent Hamas leaders from operating within the country. In addition, Turkey has agreed to end all claims against Israeli military personnel and the State of Israel as a result of the Israeli raid, Israeli officials said. Jerusalem (CNN) Israel and Turkey are set to normalize diplomatic relations, six years after an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla left eight Turks and an American citizen of Turkish origin dead. When the negotiations were made public in December, part of the discussions included a proposed natural gas pipeline from Israel to Turkey and the sale of natural gas. Under the agreement, Turkey will deliver humanitarian aid and nonmilitary supplies to Gaza while making infrastructure investments, according to a senior Turkish official, who said Hamas was not mentioned in the agreement.

Source: CNN June 27, 2016 02:15 UTC