Gaza flotilla raid

Turkey and Qatar have welcomed the 12-hour ceasefire in Gaza which aims to give Palestinians the chance to receive food and water supplies and allow hospitals to get medical supplies.

Turkey has assisted in the evacuation of 51 people from the Gaza Strip, including Turkish and foreign nationals, according to a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on July 22.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu has conveyed to his Israeli counterpart that diplomatic normalization between the two countries is not possible due to the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, a Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Large numbers of Israeli tourists who had made holiday plans in Turkey for this summer have canceled their reservations, as experts expect a drop to the levels that followed the raid on the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

Israel advised its citizens on July 19 not to travel to Turkey, citing "the public mood" after heated protests there against Israel's ground offensive into Gaza.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said Israelis should "avoid non-essential visits" to Turkey - once Israel's closest regional ally - or be especially vigilant and steer clear of anti-Israel demonstrations.

Israel’s approach to the Palestinians is no different to the mentality of Adolf Hitler, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, accusing Israel of committing “systematic atrocity and state terror” against the Palestinians since 1948.

Amid the spiraling bloodshed in Gaza, Turkey continues to send aid to the Palestinian enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in coordination with the Israeli army. Turkish agencies have been flowing aid into Gaza worth a total of $2.5 million and most of the assistance is based on local procurement, a Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Despite warnings from many world leaders, Israel conducted a ground operation in Gaza yesterday, raising the death toll to at least 166 since July 8.

The Turkish government and Palestinian authorities are in talks for providing humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip as Israeli jets continue to pound the enclave.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said July 10 ties with Israel would not return to normal unless the Netanyahu government ceased its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.