Israel not to lift blockade on Gaza

Israel will not lift the blockade on the Gaza enclave in case of any agreement reached with Turkey, well-placed sources told Israeli Radio on Friday.

Israel will not lift the security cordon imposed on the enclave, the sources stressed.

On Thursday night, sources in the Prime Minister's Office said the two nations were close to an agreement that would work toward repairing ties that broke down after the 2010 raid of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara flotilla.

Ties broke down after the Israeli navy raided a flotilla that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza in 2010. Ten Turkish activists were killed.

In the meantime, opposition leader Isaac Herzog on Friday criticized Benjamin Netanyahu and the reported nearing of normalized diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey as a late move, The Jerusalem Post said.

Herzog added that Israel's relations with Turkey should be strengthened in other spheres, and stressed that any deal "must not give Erdogan a foothold in Gaza."

Sources: MENA