Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, said the Israeli-Turkey deal amounts to Turkish recognition of the Gaza blockade. Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, seized power. The relations reached their nadir in 2010 when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish ship aiming to breech the blockade of Gaza. The U.N. chief on Tuesday criticized Israel's blockade of Gaza, a day after Israel and Turkey reached a broad reconciliation pact that looked to ease, but not eliminate, the isolation of the coastal strip. Israel and Turkey meanwhile formalized their agreement to restore full diplomatic relations after six years of animosity between the once-close allies.

Source: ABC News June 28, 2016 06:33 UTC