Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday extended condolences to the victims of the massive earthquakes that killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria.
“On behalf of all citizens of Israel, I send condolences to the citizens of Turkey at this difficult time following the earthquake that struck our region. At the request of the Turkish government, I have instructed all the authorities to immediately prepare for the provision of medical and search and rescue assistance,” said Netanyahu.
The first quake struck just after 4 a.m., 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep Province, at a depth of 17.9 kilometers (11.1 miles), and was followed just over 10 minutes later by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Just before 1 p.m. another powerful 7.5 magnitude quake struck 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) southeast of Ekinözü, Turkey, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), said the USGS.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “deeply saddened by the enormous disaster that has befallen Türkiye,” and offered condolences to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish people for the loss of life.
“The State of Israel always stands ready to assist in every way possible. Our hearts are with the grieving families and the Turkish people at this painful moment,” Herzog said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday instructed his ministry and the IDF to immediately ready emergency aid to be sent to Turkey under the auspices of the Home Front Command.
Foreign Minister Eli convened a meeting at the ministry in Jerusalem on Monday morning to discuss ways to provide aid to Turkey.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I would like to express deep sorrow to the Turkish people for the severe earthquake that struck southern Turkey tonight,” said Cohen. “Our hearts go out to the victims, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery.”