Israel to send aid to quake-stricken Turkey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was preparing to send medical and rescue assistance to Turkey following Monday's earthquake that killed hundreds in the country.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck near the Turkish city of Gaziantep before dawn, killing more than 900 people in Turkey and more than 380 in neighboring Syria.

"At the request of the Turkish government, I have instructed all authorities to make immediate preparations to provide medical, and search and rescue assistance," he said in a statement.

"The foreign and defence ministers have already been in contact with their counterparts and we will -– in the coming hours –- agree on the dispatching of a delegation as soon as possible," Netanyahu said, while offering condolences to the Turkish people.

A statement from Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu had told him that Turkey would "welcome the Israeli aid".

Israel and Turkey have revived relations in recent months, following a years-long rupture.

The earthquake also killed hundreds of people in Israel's northern neighbor Syria, but the two countries have no diplomatic relations.