Israeli President thanks Erdoğan for help in firefighting

Erdinç Çelikkan –ANKARA

A strong wind whipped up forest and bush fires across Israel and the West Bank on Nov. 24, causing the worst rash of fires since 2010 when the country suffered the single deadliest wildfire in history. 

Turkey had proposed to offer aid by sending firefighting aircraft to Israel, which Israel accepted. 

The assistance from Turkey came after a recent rapprochement between Turkey and Israel. Relations crumbled after Israeli marines stormed an activist ship carrying humanitarian aid in May 2010 to break a naval blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, killing 10 Turkish people on board. 

Israel later apologized for the 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara activist ship, paying out $20 million to the bereaved and injured.