On June 27, 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel and Turkey had reached an agreement to resume full diplomatic relations, ending six years of estrangement between the two countries. The once-close regional powers severed relations after a May 31, 2010, incident in which Israeli naval commandos forcibly boarded the Mavi Marmara, one of six vessels sailing seventy-two miles offshore that formed part of a flotilla assembled to deliver humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. The incident resulted in the death of nine Turkish passengers, the wounding of fifty-five others, and the wounding of nine Israeli soldiers. Following this event, the UN Secretary General, the UN Human Rights Council, Israel, and Turkey each carried out formal investigations and compiled reports of their findings. According to Netanyahu, the agreement will protect Israeli military personnel from criminal and civil claims by Turkey and will require Turkey “to assist Israel in entering into all international organizations that Turkey is a member of” (Israel has been attempting to establish a NATO office). The agreement leaves in place the blockade of Gaza. However, it allows Turkey to provide humanitarian assistance and to participate in infrastructure improvement projects, particularly in providing water and electricity to the population of Gaza. The agreement also allows for greater cooperation in economic and energy matters, including potentially opening Turkey’s market to Israeli natural gas. Additionally, the agreement is accompanied by Turkish commitments to prevent terrorist activity against Israel and to assist in the return of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas. According to one news source, Israel also will pay around $20 million into a compensation fund established for the families of the victims of the Mavi Marmara.