Turkey's humanitarian aid ship carrying 11,000 tons of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod on Sunday.

The Panama-flagged ship named "Lady Leyla" carries 10,000 toys and 10,000 packages of food and aid to be delivered to children in Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Turkey's Charge d'Affaires to Tel Aviv Cem Utkan, Turkish Embassy Undersecretary Yavuz Kaymak, Israel's Deputy Spokesperson of Foreign Ministry Oren Rozenblat and officials from Turkish Red Crescent were among the delegation that greeted the ship.







Following customs procedures, the aid material will be loaded into approximately 450 to 500 trucks and will be delivered to Gaza passing through the Kerem Shalom customs gate.

The ship, which was launched through the combined efforts of The Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) departed from Turkey's southern port of Mersin on Friday.

Turkey and Israel reached an initial reconciliation agreement last Monday. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended after Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid ship called Mavi Marmara in international waters in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists. The Mavi Marmara aid ship was among six civilian vessels trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza when Israeli commandos boarded it.

In the aftermath of the attack, Turkey demanded a formal apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed, and the lifting of Israel's Gaza blockade. In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret for the attack.

Under the deal, in addition to agreeing to Turkey's humanitarian presence in Gaza, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims.